Jack and Ianto: Falling in Love
by fantasylover42
Summary: How Janto comes to be. Thoughts during parts we've seen, and what happened while the camera wasn't rolling. Sorry, i'm not great at summaries. Rated T to be safe, but nothing super explicit.
1. Every story has a beginning

A/N: Just a warning, I don't like the first part as much as the second, i spent much less time on it. I wanted to get this started, get some feedback, all that stuff. I was going to take this chapter further, past the part when Jack talks to Ianto outside the entrance, but I wanted to get this out.

I just took out the garbage in a foot of snow in MN, and people in Britain complain about the rain there. Yeesh.

I don't own the show or any characters, I am not making any profit off of this.

WARNING: I may or may not update regularly, depending on if i'm in the mood and if inspiration strikes, and when i have time. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this fanfic from a fangirl. Cheers!

* * *

Jack chased the weevil, running fast and grabbing onto it. "God dammit, this one's being persistent," he swore as it pulled out of his grasp again. He chased it again, wrestling with it, eventually getting it down on the ground, punching it in the face. Soon, however, he was on his back on the ground, the weevil on top of him. He screamed in pain as its teeth ripped into his throat. Suddenly, the weevil was hit from behind, a few times before it was pulled off of him. He glanced up to see a young man, holding a long piece of wood that he had apparently just hit the weevil with. Bold.

The weevil went after the young man then. Jack scrambled to his feet and tackled it before it could do anything, pinning it down so that he could spray the subduing spray in its face. He injected the sedative, and with the threat out of the way, he stood and stepped back.

Jack took another look at the young man. Now that he wasn't trying to save either of their lives, he could take in what he looked like. He was waring a black t-shirt, a leather jacket, dark jeans, and a black, silver-studded belt. Quite honestly, he looked pretty hot. Under different circumstances, he probably would have made an offer.

"Thanks." The man spoke up, breathing hard.

"No, thank you." Jack really was glad that he'd shown up. Not that he'd ever admit it, but he might not have caught the damn thing if the guy hadn't shown up. Speaking of which, he didn't even know his name. "And you are...?"

"Jones. Ianto Jones." Definitely a local boy. No mistaking that welsh accent.

"Nice to meet you Jones Ianto Jones. Captain Jack Harkness." He couldn't keep the lighthearted joking out of the conversation.

"Lucky escape?"

Jack's pride – matches his ego – kicked in. "I had it under control." Inwardly, he added _I wish._

"Think so? Looked pretty vicious."

Jack let out a small laugh. There it was. No one really quite knew what to make of aliens, so they tried to pass it off as something else. Their ignorance was just amusing.

"You're, um," Ianto reached out uncertainly, before, confused, withdrawing his hand. "You _were_ bleeding."

Jack self-consciously flinched backwards. That was always the hardest to explain. "Had worse from shaving."

Ianto's expression hadn't changed the entire time. It was disconcerting. But the next comment was what shocked Jack the most.

"Looked like a weevil to me."

Jack nearly recoiled in shock. Okay, not such an ignorant passerby after all. But what the hell? He quickly made sure his face was unreadable and replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about." His voice was carefully nonchalant, acting as if Ianto was talking nonsense.

Ianto's face looked skeptical. Jack let a silence grow between them, but when Ianto said nothing more, he said, "I'll take him from here." With a grunt, he hoisted the weevil over his shoulder, not only eager to get it into a cell before the sedative wore off, but also eager to get back to the Hub to figure out who this guy was. "Thanks for the assistance." He began to walk away.

"Anytime." Jack continued to walk away, forcing himself not to turn and demand answers.

"Love the coat, by the way."

Jack smirked and continued to walk towards the SUV.

****

Jack sealed the holding cell, securing the just-reviving weevil. He hurried back up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He slipped of his coat, remembering Ianto's comment: "Love the coat, by the way." He smirked for a split second before his face turned serious. "Now, to find out who he was."

Jack walked over to one of the computers, typing in username and password. He opened a search and typed IANTO JONES. He wandered off to make himself coffee while the computer searched the faces of Britain. He wondered how on earth Ianto could have known about weevils. He didn't relish the idea of having to hunt him down and Ret-con him. It was never a pleasant job, and somehow the responsibility always fell on him. It was never a pleasant job, and somehow the responsibility always fell on him. He supposed that the rest of the team just assumed he didn't care.

He walked back to the computer with a steaming mug of coffee in hand. The computer had found the match and the personel file was open on the screen. He scanned the file until his eyes fell on two words that explained everything.

"Bloody hell," he breathed. "Well, at least I know we don't need to Ret-con him. Although maybe he'd be better off." He walked over to the couch and sat down, leaning his head back against the wall. He fell asleep with his mind full of disaster and carnage from a past he wished he could forget.

He woke with a start to Tosh shaking his shoulder.

"Finally. You're a pretty deep sleeper."

"I'll keep that in mind." He yawned and stretched.

"So you fell asleep?"

"Apparently. The rest of the team here?"

"Suzie is. Still waiting on Owen. You do know you're supposed to do that in a bed, right?"

"Isn't it a little early for innuendos?" he quipped, grinning crookedly at her as he stood.

She rolled her eyes. "Only you could turn that into an innuendo."

"Hmm... I do have a knack for that, don't I?" He grinned.

"So where were you last night? We waited around, but we finally gave up on you. Seemed a bit long for weevil-hunting."

"A particularily annoying weevil. It did not want to be caught. Took me damn near 2 hours to get close enough to even attempt stunning it. Probably took 20 minutes even after that."

"So, you didn't meet anyone? Wouldn't be surprising, with your track record."

"Well, I did meet this guy-"

"Knew it." She laughed and walked toward her station.

"He was at the site where I got the weevil."

She froze and spun around. "What?"

"Yeah." He nodded and raised his eyebrows. "And if that wasn't bad enough, he knew what it was."

She stared, mouth open. "But... then who was he?"

"Ianto Jones. Personel file on the screen, explained everything. Poor guy." Tosh shot him a quizzical look. "Just read the the file, and all will be revealed." He followed her to the computer.

She scrolled down the file. "Several jobs... Girlfriend Lisa Hallot... Born August 19th, 1983... Oh shit."

Jack's voice was bitter. "Torchwood One."

"He was there? Oh my god." She stared in horror at the screen. "Jack, poor guy doesn't even begin to cover it."

"I know."

"But at least we don't need to hunt him down to wipe his memory."

"Even if we did, I don't think that would be too difficult."

"What do you mean?"

"Bring up the CCTV of the front entrance."

A few keys tapping, a few clicks of the mouse, and the screen showed the entrance. A man stood there, waiting.

"Behold, the man himself." Jack gestured toward the screen. "Ianto Jones."


	2. Coffee and planning

A/N: Well, it's been a pretty interesting day.... From getting stuck in our driveway this morning.... Missing the bus when school got out early... Getting taken to the bus stop by the school secretary, because my BROTHER didn't miss the bus... Then nearly getting stuck on the way into our driveway... Yeah. MN is definitely not a place for the faint of heart :)

You know what would make this day complete? Some nice reviews ;) haha. Decided to write this chapter since I got out early and would have some time. Hope you enjoy, sorry it's short, but i thought that would be a good place to tie off the end of the chapter. Reminder: you can't always count on regular updates.

* * *

Ianto let out a breath as he watched the man sweep away, coat fluttering behind him, weevil slung over his shoulder. He'd been surprised when the Captain hadn't asked any questions about him knowing what it was, but he supposed everyone had their own ways of doing things.

He felt more confident now. After the first meeting with Captain Harkness, he was sure he could find him again and try to persuade him to let him on the team. Lisa was counting on him. If he got inside another Torchwood facility, then he could get what he needed to help her, to make her human again. At least, that was what he kept telling himself. But he had to believe it, he had to! Helping her was all that he felt his life was good for anymore.

He shuffled his feet as he walked away from the place where he had met the charismatic Captain. He hadn't had a long enough encounter with him to determine whether or not all the rumors he'd heard were true. He wasn't quite sure anyone could actually live up to the giant reputation that Captain Jack Harkness had somehow created for himself.

He wandered around the woods for a while, not really knowing what to do. He needed a plan. He sat down under a tree to think and suddenly was overwhelmed by exhaustion. He fell asleep against the tree.

****

Ianto woke up screaming. Eyes wild and panic filled, he looked around, panting. Realizing where he was and that, once again, it had been just a dream, he let his head fall back against the tree. The problem was, although it had been a dream this time, it wasn't just a dream. It had happened. And because it had happened, Lisa was counting on him. Which meant that he needed to go find Captain Harkness again.

He stood up with a groan, muscles stiff from sleeping in the awkward position under the tree. He raised his bleary eyes toward the sky to find it beginning to change colors, streaks of orange, red, and yellow staining the blue.

He wandered again until he found a coffee shop. In desperate need of caffine to wake him up, he opened the door. A bell tinkled welcomingly over his head as the door swung out. He stepped into the warmth and the comforting smell of coffee. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He smiled and walked up to the counter where a friendly-looking older man stood.

"Morning, mate! What'll ye have?" His accent sounded vaguely Scottish. Ianto ordered, and then picked a table by the window, staring out over the street.

"Here ye'are, then," the man said with a smile, placing a steaming mug down on the table. Ianto smiled in thanks.

"Looks like you don't get too many visitors this early."

"Nope, you're the first customer of the day. Haven't seen you around lately."

"Nah, you wouldn't have. Just recently moved back to Cardiff. Lived here as a kid, but I've been living in London for the past few years. Found a job there that suited me, but I had to leave."

The man nodded sympathetically. "Company dissolve?"

"Something like that." Ianto took a sip of his coffee, staring at the brown liquid to avoid eye contact with this kindly man. Eventually, he walked back to the counter.

Ianto finished his coffee and sat, staring out the window, playing with the empty mug in his hands. Suddenly he had an idea.

He walked back up to the counter and said, "Any chance of getting another coffee to go?"

"Of course!" Moments later Ianto stood with a styrofoam cup with a lid, the heat bleeding through and warming his hand.

"One more favor, if you don't mind," Ianto said hesitantly.

"Ask away, I'll do what I can." The man waved his hand nonchalantly.

"Any chance you would know where the Torchwood base is?"

The man snorted a laugh. "Ask that to anyone around here, and all we'll be able to tell you is down by the bay. That's where everything weird seems to happen, anyway."

Ianto thanked the man and paid for his coffees, leaving a generous tip for the man's help. Then, he was out the door, on his way to another meeting with the Captain.


	3. Don't be taken in by pity, stay strong

A/N: oops I realized after watching Fragments again that it's an actual MUG of coffee, but i'm going to stick with styrofoam because I like the story I made. Deal. Haha.

This is not one of my favorite chapters as of yet (especially when you see the ones that don't have pre-written dialouge that i'm writing for later :D), but I needed to write it for the few good ideas I had for it, and also I can't get to the good chapters if I don't get the less-good ones out of the way

Also, i'm thinking about later chapters, and I want an opinion: Should Ianto know that Jack can't die before End of Days? PLEASE give your answers in the form of reviews. Thanks muchly :D

* * *

Jack swept out of the tourist office, wishing he didn't have to do this. He knew there was really no place for the young man here, but in a way, he still hated turning him away, but he knew he had to be firm right from the start, otherwise he would never leave.

"Morning! Coffee?" Ianto handed him the cup. Jack took a sip, wondering if Ianto had made it himself.

He rolled his eyes a bit as he handed the coffee back. "Wow." Either way, it was pretty good, but if Ianto was thinking it would buy him a place in the team, he had another think coming.

"I want to work for you." Straightforward, simple. TOO BAD.

"Sorry, no vacancies." Jack began to walk away. He hoped that Ianto wouldn't follow. Suppose it was a bit of a stretch to hope for...

"Look, let me tell you about myself-"

Jack cut him off before he could get any further. He didn't want to hear what he already knew, so he rattled it off instead. As he started reciting from the file, Ianto's mouth stayed open, still ready to talk. "Ianto Jones. Born August 19th, 1983. Able student, but not exceptional." Jack began to walk again, expecting Ianto to follow as he continued to talk. He did. " One minor conviction for shoplifting in your teens.A number of temporary jobs, mainly a drifter until two years ago you joined the Torchwood Institute in London. Junior researcher, girlfriend, Lisa Hallet."

"Deceased." The sharp outburst was too short to reveal any emotion.

"Sorry." The two-syllable word was equally emotionless, and had Jack kicking himself. However much he wanted to turn this guy away firmly, he didn't always have to be heartless, did he? Surely he could have showed some small amount of compassion for this man who had obviously just lost a lot. And chances are, due to the circumstances, he had just lost a lot in the most horrible way.

"Look," Ianto put out his hand, putting it against Jack's chest and stepping in front of him. "You checked me out." Ianto sounded surprised and almost a bit hopeful.

NO, really? Jack bit back the sarcastic thought. "You knew what a weevil was. Thought I was going to have to come... deal with you." He knew that Ianto, seeing as he had had a position with Torchwood London, would know what _that_ meant.

"But instead you saw I had the qualifications for the job." The straightforward tone resumed, but the way he had jumped on that betrayed his desperation.

Okay, time to be forceful. "There is no job. We're nothing to do with Torchwood London. I severed all links." Jack sidestepped and began walking again, being careful to keep his emotions in check. Because it had hurt. It had hurt like hell to have felt so betrayed by a branch off of his own team that he had to sever all links.

"Yeah, when it burned. Two members of your team scavenged the ruins." Ianto again put out his hand and stepped in front of him, stopping him. He seemed to be making a bit of a habit of it.

How the hell did he know-? Never mind, it didn't matter. Jack moved the young man's hand from his chest. "Don't want the equipment getting into the wrong hands." Why did he feel guilty? He didn't need to feel guilty, it was the truth!

Ianto raised his eyebrows, challenging, skeptical. "And you're the right hands, are you?" Jack let that slide, he didn't want to argue his rational with this guy he didn't even know. "Trial period, three months." His eyes hadn't strayed from Jack's face, and they were intense. His eyes clearly showed the desperation his voice was beginning to betray.

"No." _Firm, Jack. Just stay firm. _It was hard, he knew a fraction of the pain Ianto was going through, he felt the pity.

"Three weeks. Three days! Let me prove myself to you. I'll work for nothing!" The desperation was really coming in strong now, but although Jack felt the smallest possible pang of pity, he squashed it down. He had a feeling that hiring Ianto would be a _bad_ decision.

"No." Jack couldn't resist putting a bit of smart-alick attitude into the no as he, again, began to walk away.

Ianto came up behind him, grabbing his shoulder, stepping in front of him AGAIN. "I saw what they did at Canary Wharf! What am I supposed to do with those memories?" Ianto was definitely making it hard hard to ignore Jack's pity factor. He sounded so lost, so desperate, so... sad. And the fact that he so obviously was all of these things made Jack angry. Partially because if all the Torchwood One staff had been as full of emotion, they wouldn't have had this problem. And he was angry at himself, too, for starting to let the pity get to him. _You can't hire him,_ he repeated to himself. He couldn't keep the anger out of his voice.

"You're not my responsibility. And we're not hiring." He began to walk away again.

Ianto's voice came from behind his back. "Same time tomorrow, then."

Jack didn't turn around, it would ruin the effect. "There is no job for you here, and never will be!"

"I really like that coat!"

Jack raised one eyebrow and smirked as he forced himself not to turn around and see a scene that he could picture well enough in his mind: a man, left by the bay, without a job, without a girlfriend, and without a hope, desperate to try to find his way in life after one of the biggest disasters that a person could possibly survive through. He forced himself not to turn back, because if he did, he knew that it would too hard to resist helping him.


	4. I Love It When a Plan Comes Together

Ianto wasn't sure how long he stood by the tourist office, staring at the place where Captain Jack Harkness had finally vanished from view. He finally moved when he noticed that the coffee was no longer warm, and it really was doing no good to stand here. It was over.

He tossed the still almost-full cup into a trash can as he walked to where he had parked his car – had it really been two days since he had driven it? Somehow going back to the car meant driving back to Lisa, which in a way he didn't want to do. Not because he didn't love her, but because he wanted desperately to forget the mess that had been made of their relationship as he tried to convert her back to all human.

He took his keys out of his pocket and unlocked his car with the button. He opened the driver's door and slid into the seat. He reached over and put the key in the ignition, but before turning it and starting the car; he grabbed the small plastic picture frame that was swinging from the key ring.

He felt a rush of conflicting emotions as he examined the picture. He wanted to laugh, cry, scream, and overall just lose control. The picture was of him and Lisa in happier times. It was her birthday, the cake in front of her shining with candles, her laughing face highlighted by the flickering flames as Ianto kissed her on the cheek. He couldn't bear to look at it. He let it fall again and turned the key in the ignition, starting the car and weaving through the streets until he got to the abandoned house where he was hiding Lisa.

He looked up and down the street to make sure that no one was watching. No one ever was, this place had been deserted for years, but you could never be too careful. He opened the door and slipped inside.

Almost instinctively he reached into his pocket and pulled out a flashlight. He had nicked a generator so that he could keep the machines that were keeping Lisa alive going, but he didn't want to use it to power too many lights, because he didn't want to risk anyone knowing he was there.

He walked into what had probably been the living room once upon a time. A very uncomfortable, lumpy couch – which Ianto knew from many near-sleepless nights – was pushed against one wall. Otherwise the room was devoid of furniture, mostly because most of the small room was taken up by the life-support system.

Ianto walked over. "Lisa," he whispered. "Lisa." Her eyes didn't open. Good, she was resting. He checked the IVs and medication. Running out. Now that he wasn't getting into Torchwood… Tears welled up in his eyes and he didn't let himself finish the thought. He gently stroked his girlfriend's cheek before walking over to the couch and wearily collapsing onto it. He closed his eyes, but was interrupted by an insistent beeping. He groaned and opened his eyes again.

He let his head fall back against the couch for a moment before reaching behind the couch and grabbing the backpack that sat there, next to a suitcase. He hoisted the backpack up and set in on his lap and began rummaging through it. He took out his diary and set it aside with a small smile. He'd had no time to write lately. Besides, he had nothing that he felt was worth recording. After a few more seconds and many more random things pulled out of the backpack, he pulled out the device he was looking for.

"Rift activity locator," he murmured. "I almost forgot that I had this." He looked at the screen for a moment before tossing it aside on the couch. After all, what use was it to him now? He let his head fall back and closed his eyes again.

Suddenly he sat bolt upright, wide awake. But he DID still have a use for it! After all, what did Torchwood exist for? He grabbed the locator, and sprinted out of the building, pulling out his keys and unlocking the car as soon as he came out of the door.

20 minutes later found him slamming his car door and standing in front of a warehouse. Suddenly he was uncertain. What if the rift hadn't actually left anything? Or at least, anything detectable? What if whatever it was was dangerous, and killed him before he could use it for a plan? But he had to try… He needed to take the risk, for Lisa.

Ianto threw open the door. For a moment it looked as if there was nothing in the warehouse, and then he heard a screech and a flapping of wings. He looked up and saw a pterodactyl flying above him. A smile crept slowly over his face.

"Excellent." Time for Plan B.

A/N: WOO HOO! Our favorite pterodactyl is around. Sweet, isn't she? But yeah, hope this chapter wasn't TOO depressing or anything…. It has a happy enough ending, but I kind of wanted to make Ianto seem really sad…. Poor Ianto.

Also, don't be expecting any stuff too soon. I'm totally swamped with stuff: Homework, the school musical… the musical is overtaking my life. I get back exhausted every night, after having a rehearsal until 9. And you know what? You could help me out a little. Because if I got reviews, it would give me more energy and help me fall asleep happy after I check my emails every night. Which will help me to keep from getting sick. So PLEASE review, because I carefully consider all suggestions given to me in reviews! Because you have no idea how happy it makes me when I get reviews. Cheers and sorry for the long A/N!


	5. Sure you're talking about pterodactyls?

**A/N: apologies in advance for the long chapter. Explanations after you read.**

It had been a ridiculously busy day. Half of a tablet of some sort of hieroglyphics had washed up on the shore of the resevoir early that morning, and they were nearly positive it had been dropped by the rift and had broken on contact. But before they'd had any chance to try to decode it, they were swamped with weevil alerts, a minor alien tech dealer in town, a paramedic that showed signs of alien chemicals, a few more rift alerts, and even a call from UNIT, which Jack had taken with very little grace. Jack was sitting at a bar, drinking a glass of beer, and was thinking about making a move toward that pretty young lady in the corner when his comm went off. "Jack, you there?"

Sighing, he lifted a hand and answered. "Yeah?"

"Jack, we've got a few rift alerts, one in a warehouse toward the edge of city limits." Jack stood up, leaving a tip on the counter, and made his way to the door as Toshiko's voice rang in his ear. "Any chance you could check it out?"

"Do I have much of a choice?" he asked ruefully. "Just send me the coordinates and I'll check it out." He unlocked the SUV and slid into the driver's seat, waiting until he received the coordinates to set off. "Owen, Suzie, are you there?"

"Awaiting orders, Captain," Owen replied sarcastically.

"Shut it, Owen. Yeah, we're all listening. Suppose you have something for us to do, right?" Suzie queried.

"Yep, you're right. Sorry, guys, but you all know it's been a crazy day, and I need you all working on something. Toshiko, see if you can decode those hieroglyphics."

"Already on it." Just like Tosh, always efficient.

"Owen, take a cross-section of the paramedic's brain, check it against the list of chemical agents."

"Will do." So the man COULD follow orders.

"Suzie, we're going to need to dredge the reservoir, see if you can find the other half-" Jack stopped talking as he saw a man in a suit standing in the street. He stepped on the brakes so as to not run him over, reaching up and canceling the comms as he did so. He realized that he recognized the man and, against his better judgment, almost wished that he hadn't stopped.

Jack got out of the car with an exasperated groan and walked up to Ianto Jones, intent on getting his point across this time. He really couldn't put up with this anymore, and this guy was really starting to get on his nerves. "Okay, this has to stop."

"Look, listen to me-" Jack cut him off. He really wasn't in the mood for this.

"I don't have time for this. Look, I don't care what your problem is; I want you out of this city by sunrise. Go back to London, find yourself another life. Keep stalking me, I'll wipe your memory." Maybe that would help get it through the man's head. Jack, in a way, regretted his harsh tone, but he knew that he needed to get this man AWAY from him.

"Yeah, but the thing is-" Jack couldn't believe he was still going to argue the point. He cut him off again.

"Look, any conversation between us, no matter the subject, is over, finished, done! Forever! I'm getting back behind the wheel of that car," he said, pointing. "If you're still standing in the road, I'm going to drive through you!" He turned on his heel impressively and began striding back to the SUV.

"So you're not going to help me catch this pterodactyl then?" Ianto called.

Jack spun around, which, all things considered, did ruin the effect of the dramatic exit a bit. But how was he supposed to react to that? He walked the few strides back, and looked Ianto in the eyes, head forward and brows furrowed.

"Say what?" he asked incredulously.

"Pterodactyl. You know, dinosaur, lived in the late Triassic and early Cretaceous period." Ianto said all this casually, with the kind of attitude that said, quite simply, DUH.

"Yes, exactly," Jack said impatiently. "LIVED."

"Are you forgetting where you live, Captain?" Jack stared at him blankly. "You live in Cardiff. Did you just forget the whole rift in time and space thing?"

Jack snorted. "Kind of hard to forget when you work for Torchwood. Never had any dinosaurs before, just a bit different." He checked the coordinates on his wrist strap briefly before saying, "That must be where I was going, then." He looked at Ianto, wishing he could tell him to leave, but knowing he couldn't. "Well, you coming?"

"Seriously?" Ianto actually looked surprised.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I probably can't catch a pterodactyl on my own and anyone who would help me is otherwise engaged at the moment. So, I guess I'm stuck with you."

Ianto shrugged. "Yeah, why not."

Jack rolled his eyes and motioned to the passenger side before going to the driver's seat. As they drove, Jack glanced at the man, taking note, again, of the suit. Honestly, he didn't look bad in it. In fact, he looked kind of cute. Jack shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and fixed his eyes on the road again. "So, what's with the suit?"

"What do you mean?" Ianto asked, confused.

"Well, from what I've seen, it isn't your usual dress."

Jack could just barely see Ianto rolling his eyes from his peripheral vision. "Suits were dress code at Torchwood London, I wore one every day. They're pretty much as normal to wear as jeans and a T-shirt at this point."

"Ah." Jack didn't really know what to say to that.

"What about you? With a coat like that, I certainly hope Torchwood 3 doesn't have a dress code."

Jack chuckled. "Nah, no dress code."

Ianto eyed him a bit suspiciously. "Why do you wear that thing?"

Jack shrugged, trying to answer the question without having to explain anything too thoroughly. "Personal preference. It grew on me. Fits my personality."

"Hmm. It works for you." Ianto turned and stared out of the side window, watching the last few buildings pass as they pulled up to the warehouse.

"And here's our destination." Jack turned off the car and unbuckled, saying, "Come on, equipment's in the back. " Suddenly noticing a car, he said, "Wonder what that's doing here."

"It's mine. I left it here earlier." Ianto followed him to the back. Jack threw open the door and rummaged around, pulling out a syringe filled with tranquilizer.

"Okay, _that _is the only special equipment you've got." Jack could hear the disbelief and almost disdain in Ianto's voice.

"Yeah, because I keep dinosaur nets in the back of the SUV," he shot back sarcastically.

"Well, Torchwood London would have…" Jack bit back the retort that he desperately wanted to throw out, knowing that Ianto already knew that he wasn't Torchwood London.

He threw open the door to the warehouse, but before he could even step inside, he found himself being dive-bombed by a screeching pterodactyl. Caught off guard, he knew he needed to get out, and had just enough time to slam the door shut and lean back against it. He turned to Ianto, suddenly realizing something that was odd about all this.

"How'd you find it?"

"Rift activity locater." He held it out as if for examination.

Suddenly it made sense. "Torchwood London."

"See? Call it a kit." Ianto sounded a bit impatient.

"Huh, quite excitable." Truth be told, Jack was beginning to get excited. He loved hunting non-humans, there was something about it that gave him a rush.

"Must be the aftershave."

Jack looked at him, surprised. "Never wear any."

"You smell like that naturally?" The question came quickly, almost instinctively, and definitely with a hint of disbelief. Jack smiled. He knew he smelled good. How many times did he have to be told?

"51st century pheromones, you people have no idea. Ready for another go?" he offered. Odd. He didn't often use those words in the context of hunting pterodactyls.

"I'm game if you are." That response didn't normally come in that context either.

"3… 2… 1..." Jack threw open the door and let Ianto follow him inside. "Split uuuuuuup!" The word was elongated as he ran toward the other side of the warehouse, as they worked together to effectively corner the pterodactyl. He chuckled. It really was an amazing animal. "We're not going to harm you. You can't stay here. Come back with me. I've got somewhere nice and big where you can fly around."

"So you'll let the pterodactyl in but not me?"

Didn't this guy ever let up? Jack found himself getting annoyed. This was hardly the time or place. "I need a guard dog."

"I can be that! Like a receptionist! Building maintenance! Food and drink! Dry cleaning even, that coat of yours must take a battering. Like a butler, I could be a butler!" Jack could clearly hear the desperation in his voice, and it only served to annoy him further.

"We don't need a butler." He growled.

"Excuse me! Is that dried blood on your collar?"

"It was a busy week." _Because I definitely have time to take it in for cleaning every day. Yeesh._

"What exactly is your plan?" Okay, so that part was necessary to explain if he was to expect any help.

"I'm going to be the decoy."

"That thing will rip you to shreds!"

"Dinosaurs?" He chuckled, loving the naivety of the younger man. "Had 'em for breakfast. Had to. Only source of prekilled food protein after the asteroid crashed." What had started out as a joke morphed into something that he really should have said as he started to reminisce. He looked at Ianto's blank expression and decided not to try to explain. "Long story. Here you go. One injection to the central nervous cortex. I'll keep it occupied. Move."

"No."

"What?" Who did this kid think he was?

"It knows me. I'll be a better decoy."

Jack couldn't do that. It would be better to reveal he could die than to risk someone else's life. "Way too dangerous."

"No, I've got a secret weapon." Ianto pulled something out of his pocket that looked suspiciously like… "Chocolate. Preferably dark." Jack stood in amazement for a split second before shaking his head bewilderedly and getting into position.

Ianto whistled and offered the chocolate out to the dinosaur, luring it closer. "Your favorite, yeah." He tossed the bar, and the dinosaur immediately started to gobble it up. "It's good for your serotonin levels. That is, if you've got serotonin levels."

Suddenly the dinosaur turned and saw Jack. He grinned, because this was the part he loved most. The pterodactyl took off and began to fly and Jack grabbed onto a leg.

"Woah! Ianto!" Jack yelled. He managed to get the syringe into the dinosaur, and as he did, he lost grip of the pterodactyl's leg, and fell down, landing in Ianto's open arms and flattening him to the ground with a groan of pain. "Sorry."

They both looked up and saw the dinosaur falling as the tranquilizer kicked in. Still clinging to each other, they rolled away together, laughing as the dinosaur hit the ground. Jack, now under Ianto, found himself staring into his eyes as they both trailed off, still clinging to each other and breathing hard. Jack wanted to lean up to kiss him, and the sudden urge startled him. He felt like Ianto wanted the same thing. But before he got the chance to try, Ianto broke the silence.

"I should go." He pushed away and stood up, walking to the door. Jack lay on the ground for a moment, hands still held up, suffering from the sudden loss of weight. But Jack called out, because staring into the other man's eyes, he'd seen something. Tonight he'd realized that Ianto could be an asset to the team, and looking into his eyes he'd seen a fraction of the pain and confusion there. Maybe it was his responsibility to help him past it, to make sure what happened to Torchwood 1 never happened again.

"Hey!" Ianto half turned, looking for all the world as if he just wanted to leave. "Report for work first thing tomorrow." Barely even acknowledging that Jack had spoken, Ianto continued to walk to the door. "Like the suit, by the way." Jack quipped flirtatiously.

Jack went to follow Ianto out, but by the time he made it to the door, his car was already pulling away. But Jack was sure this wasn't the last he'd see of Ianto Jones Smiling, Jack activated his comms."Team? You'd better make room in the inn, because we've got a new guest."

**A/N: so, why is it so long? Well, long story short, I couldn't find a place to break this into two chapters, so I made it one long one. Sorry for anyone who doesn't like long chapters. Next order of business: should I do this part from Ianto's perspective as well? I'm considering it, but I want to know what you guys think. Review, I love it when I get reviews. Hope you're enjoying! Also, I did listen to and transcribe from Fragments, to the best of my ability, but obviously I added some dialogue and I can't promise that everything is right.**


	6. Love and Betrayal?

Ianto slammed the door of the car, trying not to think about what had just happened. He walked up to the door and walked inside, going into the room where Lisa lay unconscious. He checked her medication and replaced what needed replenishing. He crouched next to her. _She looks almost peaceful, _he thought, stroking her cheek.

"We made it in, Lisa. We're going inside Torchwood." He kissed her gently on the forehead, and her eyes flew open.

When that had first started happening, it had unnerved Ianto. But now he knew that the reason she was sitting there, eyes open as if awake but unresponsive, was simply a reaction to the medicine. He'd done some fairly legitimate research on cybernetics, and had even contacted some people who thought they could help. He could request them to come now that he knew he would have access to more equipment. He gently slid each of Lisa's eyes shut, and then kissed her again, whispering, "I'll be back soon, Lisa." Then, he took his things out from behind the couch, loaded it into his car, and set off again, this time toward his flat.

He'd bought a flat when he moved back to Cardiff, but it wasn't a very convenient place to hide Lisa, so he'd hardly spent any time in it. He had been in long enough to unpack some boxes – mainly clothes, cookware, and photographs – but after he found a location to hide Lisa, he'd simply packed up a suitcase of clothes and left, coming back only for whatever supplies he needed or to clean up. He'd be able to live here once he got Lisa relocated to Torchwood, which, granted, would probably take a couple of weeks.

Ianto unpacked everything he'd brought back with him. When he got to his clothes, he brought the suitcase into his bedroom and put it on his bed, beginning to put clean clothes back into drawers and setting dirty clothes in the hamper for wash. When he was finally done, he stashed the suitcase in his closet and checked to make sure he had enough suits, since Jack had seemed to approve of the suits, and it was always a good idea to get on the good side of your boss, even if h was a complete flirt.

Ianto sat down on the edge of his bed, exhausted. He glanced at his bedside table. He picked up the picture frame that stood there, examining the picture. It had been a trip to the beach, just him, Lisa, and a few close friends. One of their friend had taken a picture of them, Ianto splashing Lisa with water as she ran away laughing. Ianto smiled and realized that looking at the pictures wasn't painful anymore, because now he had hope. Now he was inside Torchwood.

But what had made the Captain change his mind? Ianto groaned as he realized that he couldn't avoid thinking about what had happened in the warehouse. He lay back and let his mind churn.

He had still been refusing Ianto. Ianto had been sure there was no chance of getting in. But that night… Even though Captain Harkness had been saying no, it had seemed like there was a small part of his brain that was saying maybe. And when Ianto had found himself on top of the Captain… he was fairly sure that he would have kissed him, had he stayed a moment longer.

But that wasn't what scared him. Captain Harkness was notorious, even among Torchwood One staff, for being an incorrigible flirt and bedding, well, anything really. What scared him is that he had wanted Captain Harkness to kiss him.

It made no sense, but there was something about Jack that just made Ianto notice him. Earlier, when he had commented on his smell… he had always noticed when girls wore nice perfume, when they used scented shampoo in their hair… but it was the first time he had really noticed a man's scent. And Captain Jack Harkness… his scent was exotic… exciting.

And then Ianto had been on top of him, in his arms, just inches away from kissing him. Ianto rolled over and buried his face in his pillow. "Why?" he groaned. "Why did I want to kiss him?" It was wrong. Lisa was close to dying, and here he was, almost kissing a MAN. It was wrong. It was beyond wrong. He got up and started getting out of his clothes. He did, after all, have work tomorrow, and maybe sleep would clear his head.

_Ianto was walking through the warehouse, listening to the shouts and screeches above him. He heard a voice shouting his name. He looked up, arms outstretched, as a blur of arms, legs, and army coat fell on top of him. They grunted in pain and then rolled out of the way of the falling pterodactyl, laughing. They trailed off as they stared into each other's eyes, leaning forward, just a little bit closer, just a little bit closer…_

Ianto jolted awake as his alarm went off, a thin sheen of sweat covering his body in reaction to the dream. He shook his head and glanced at the clock. It was 5:30am. Ianto hadn't known what to think when Captain Harkness had told him "first thing in the morning", so he went for early. He got up, showered, shaved and dressed. He looked in the mirror, did a final check of everything, smoothed his suit, and let out a breath. Time for work.

**A/N: Meh, I'm not sure if I like this chapter. It was weird to write, I don't know why. Hope you guys like it. So, why is Ianto CONSTANTLY referring to Jack as "Captain Harkness" or "The Captain"? Because it seems to me that Ianto is extremely formal and is one of the people who would feel uncomfortable referring to their boss or someone of a higher rank by their first name. Obviously, this will not stay, but I'm not sure when he'll start thinking of him as Jack. Probably soon, though, because it's actually kind of annoying to type that. Haha. And if I didn't do that in the other chapters, it's because I just realized it now. Oops.**

**Hoping to update soon! Cyber hugs and kisses to those who review/comment!**


	7. Bringing home the pterodactyl?

**WARNING: SWEARING. I apologize if it offends anyone, but it fits Owen's character, so I'm not changing it. Cheers!**

"You brought a PTERODACTYL back? What the FUCK are we going to do with a pterodactyl?" The way Owen was shouting made Jack think that he wasn't very happy.

"Well I was thinking we could keep it," he said casually, shrugging out of his coat.

"Where the hell are we going to put it? And you better not expect ME to take care of the damn thing!" Owen roared.

"Owen, calm down. The way you're carrying on, you're going to bring the pterodactyl out of sedation," Tosh said.

"We have enough open space in the hub, we can make it a den at the top and let it fly around. As for who'll take care of it," he said, walking over to the hooks to hang up his coat, "I was thinking our new employee could take care of it. He seems to be a bit of an expert on pterodactyls. At least he knew the like dark chocolate."

"What new employee?" Owen was still shouting.

"Who are you talking about, Jack?" Suzie asked.

Tosh looked at him exasperatedly. "Jack, you didn't."

"Yes. I did."

"Why?"

"After reconsidering, I think he has good qualifications for the job." He turned and faced them, crossing his arms. "Do any of you have anything to say about that?"

"We don't even know who you're talking about," Owen complained.

"Well Tosh sure seems to." Suzie looked from Jack to Tosh quizzically.

"His name's Ianto Jones, and he's a former Torchwood One employee. He was employed there during Canary Wharf." Tosh reported while still looking at Jack.

"He… he was at Canary Wharf?" Owen had finally stopped yelling, Jack noticed happily.

"And from the looks of it, he lost his girlfriend there."

"Shit." Owen was at a loss for words, but when this happened to him, unlike the others, who kept their mouths shut, he simply went to his rather large reserve of curse words.

"So… you hired him because you felt bad for him?" Suzie was still trying to get it.

"No, I hired him because he's had experience with Torchwood and I think he would be a good addition to the team. And he's cute."

Owen groaned. "Oh, LORD. Can't we ever escape from it?"

"Not while you work for me," Jack grinned cheekily. "Now, help me get this inside, and then you guys should get home. We've got a new person to introduce to the team tomorrow."

After a great deal of difficulty, the team finally got the pterodactyl inside and up to where its designated perch was. Tosh insisted on setting up a few programs to run overnight, but after that, Jack found himself alone in the hub with only the unconscious pterodactyl and the aliens in the vaults to keep him company.

He didn't need sleep, really – he supposed it came with being immortal – and although he had a bed he would go back to every night, he really wasn't in the mood just then. He needed to do something. He walked up to a computer that he was sure Tosh didn't have some program or another running on that he could risk screwing up, and pulled up personnel files.

He clicked the option for starting a new employee file and began typing. _**EMPLOYEE NAME: IANTO JONES. DATE OF BIRTH: 19 AUGUST 1983. **_He realized how little he knew about the man, and decided to leave the rest for Ianto to fill out himself. With that, he delved deeper into Ianto's old file, reading up about him.

From the looks of it, he had never been on the field, but only dealt with research and archives. He hadn't had any major breakthroughs or accomplishments. In other words, there was nothing extraordinary about him. And yet, there was.

Jack shook his head. He didn't know why he thought so, but something made him feel like Ianto was different. That he was special. He wasn't sure what it was – was it the way he walked? The way he talked? Maybe it was the cool way he took everything. The only time Jack had seen him lose his composure at all was when he was lying on top of him, and when he slunk out of the warehouse.

Jack thought about that moment. "Why did I want to kiss him?" He murmured, looking at a picture of the serious-looking youth on the computer. True, he was attractive, but—"Why?" Jack had gone from thinking he was one of the most annoying people on the planet to wishing that he had taken the initiative to lean forward that extra little bit and kiss him.

Was it just that he had been caught up in the moment? It was true that alien hunts gave him a rush like nothing else, part of the reason that he loved his job so much. And also, if he had a gorgeous Welshman lying on top of him, he couldn't imagine very many scenarios where he would be upset by that. But why him? Jack hardly knew the guy. Granted, he hardly knew any of the people he ever hooked up with in bars, but that was different. Ianto was different. But Jack couldn't place his finger on why.

Jack got the feeling that it would be hard to find someone who could rival Ianto's ability to hide his emotions. Even though he barely knew him, he could already tell that Ianto was extremely experienced at hiding emotions. He didn't believe that the youth really felt only what his face showed. From the looks of it, the man had a very carefully made mask that had been created, most likely, over the course of several years. But why? He glanced back at the file, the two words jumping out at him again. _Torchwood One._

It was true that the experience had probably scarred Ianto beyond belief, but was that all? Somehow Jack doubted it. But there was no way he could prove it.

In a very melancholy mood, Jack began to peruse articles and records about Torchwood One, their experiences, and their fall. Yvonne Hartman – Jack snorted. As leader of Torchwood Three, he'd met her and talked to her over the phone countless times. He hadn't been overly fond of her, and he could read people well enough to know that she had about the same opinion of him. She'd been a people person, but that didn't mean she'd been a pleasant person. They'd butted heads over many issues, and the ghosts had been one of them. Jack had said he didn't want to be a part of the project, he had felt that something was wrong, but he had known better than to try to argue with Yvonne. When she made up her mind about something, there was no changing it. So he'd pulled Torchwood 3 out of the operation.

"And look where it led her," he whispered sadly. He took the fact that he was crying with surprise only because he hadn't realized. He didn't find it surprising that he was crying over her. She might not have been the best person, but… "No one deserves to die like that." He'd been disgusted that Torchwood had such a bad reputation after the incident. The public was already wary, and a world invasion didn't help any. It hurt that anyone who knew that Torchwood One was behind the incident would automatically connect Torchwood Three to it as well.

"We're nothing like them!" His fist slammed down, rattling some pens in a cup near the edge of the desk. His fury at them scared him. And it was also ironic. _I try so hard to remove myself completely from Torchwood One, and then I hire a former employee, _he thought to himself wryly. He blinked at stared at the screen, before quitting out of the search with a vicious click from his mouse. He walked away from the computer, breathed in deeply, and let it out, composing himself. He grinned. "Hmm. New employee tomorrow… I should really come up with an initiation ceremony one of these days."

* * *

**A/N: meh, it's okay. This is a kind of filler chapter, I wanted to tell most of the first day from Ianto's point of view (we'll see how that turns out…) but yeah. I didn't really have a plan when I started this chapter, so I hope it all makes sense. Don't know when I'll get a new chapter up, but hopefully soon! Thank you all for reading and reviewing! I appreciate it!**


	8. New Job, Meet the Team

Ianto stood nervously in front of the tourist shop door, hand frozen halfway to the handle. He knew he looked ridiculous, and he prayed that no one walked by. But he had to gather his wits before he went in, before he threw himself into… he didn't really know what. For a job he had worked so hard to get, he sure didn't want to start it. But he had to. So he took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and twisted the door handle to walk inside.

And saw no one.

He stood, unsure of what to do for a moment, until a door opened to his left and Captain Harkness strode through, grinning. "So, you actually decided to show?"

"Looks like it, yep."

"Well, then, let's get you in and introduce you to the team." The Captain hit a button behind the desk, and a secret passageway door opened to the right, like something out of a movie. Ianto kept his face carefully impassive. The Captain turned to him and said with a cheeky smile, "I'll lead, then, shall I? Follow me," and swept down the hall with Ianto following in his wake.

There was a small lift that took them down to a cog door. Captain Harkness took a security pass out of the pocket of his coat and lifted his eyebrows at Ianto. "You ready?"

Ianto's only reply was, "Do you always wear that coat, sir?"

The Captain smirked as he swiped his security pass, the opening of the cog door announced by lights and sirens. "Flashy," Ianto commented.

"By the way, you don't have to call me sir. Everyone just calls me Jack."

"Been brought up to respect those above me." Ianto shrugged. The Captain let it go.

"Come on, everyone's over here," Captain Harkness said as he strode through the Hub as if he owned it, which, technically, he probably did. Sure enough, 3 people were in generally the same area, all doing something at stations, although whatever the one man was doing, Ianto could say with fair certainty that it couldn't be classified as "working." They all looked up as the two men walked up. Ianto stopped even though Jack kept going, walking towards a desk a little further in.

"Okay, we're going to revert back to kindergarten for a moment, so raise your hand when I call your name so Ianto can see who you are." Captain Harkness called over his shoulder. "Toshiko Sato, technology genius." The Japanese woman flashed him a shy smile and a little wave. "Suzie Costello, whose pet project right now is a glove that came through the rift." A darker-skinned woman with black, curly hair gave him a small nod and the slightest hint of a smile. "And Owen Harper is our resident doctor, who seems to think when we don't have an autopsy or wound for him to stitch up, he doesn't need to do anything." The man who Ianto had taken note of earlier scowled in Jack's direction, and then gave a slight nod to Ianto. Jack hung up his coat on a hook next to the desk Ianto assumed was his, picked up a bag, and walked back over. "By the way, I hope that answered your question about the coat," the Captain said, gesturing back towards where it hung.

"Yep, did catch that."

"Anyway. So. Here you go," the Captain said, handing over the bag. "Torchwood employee essentials; security pass and a Torchwood-issue gun." Ianto noticed Captain Harkness examining his face as he accepted the bag. "Have you ever used a gun before?"

Ianto shrugged. "Nope. Wasn't on the field at Torchwood London."

"Right, well then, we'll get you some gun training then, but not today. It's required that everyone has at least minimal gun training." The Captain shifted his weight and crossed his arms across his chest. "Now, on another note, what we need from you. I've started a personnel file for you, but, seeing as how I don't really know much beside your name, we're going to let you fill out the rest. There should be a rule manual somewhere around, we'll hunt one down and get it to you. And lastly." He smirked. "You're going to need a copy of the key to your flat."

Ianto's eyebrows snapped up. "Excuse me?"

"Jack! Don't torment him!" The Japanese woman, Toshiko, turned to Ianto to explain. "Rules and regulations, Jack gets a key to everyone's flat in case of emergency or a casualty on the field. We have to pack up everything for a locker."

"Oh, come on, Tosh, let me have a little fun!" Captain glanced at her and she gave him a disparaging look and a roll of her eyes. He turned back to Ianto. "Well, I think that's all you need from me right now, if not, this lot know how to get my attention." He leaned in close and whispered in his ear, "By the way, really loving the suit look!" He lifted his eyebrows before walking away whistling something that sounded suspiciously like "Consider Yourself" from Oliver. Ianto smirked at the thought of the Captain being a theater buff.

"Where's he off to, then?"

"His office. He's got the desk down here for some stuff, but for the most part, he's up there," Suzie replied, gesturing up to a glass room.

"By the way, don't let his flirting bother you, he's like that with everyone," Tosh said, smiling.

"You'll get used to it, but it doesn't mean it won't bother you. God knows it hasn't stopped bothering me," Owen snorted.

"And you'll also get used to that," Suzie said, nodding her head in Owen's direction. "He's not just having a bad day – or, if he is, he has a bad day every day."

"Oi!" Owen glowered at Suzie before angrily turning back to his computer and typing furiously. Tosh gave a despairing shake of her head and turned back to Ianto.

"You've probably already noticed that we run things here a lot differently than they did at Torchwood One. It's a much smaller group here, but between us, we get the job done."

"Erm, what exactly am I supposed to be doing?"

Suzie shrugged. "Basically whatever is in your ability and whatever we need you for. Jack mentioned you offered to do cleaning stuff, which Owen was more than happy to let you do. We tried taking turns before, but getting him to do anything was a pain in the ass." She grinned. "Are you a local boy?"

"Yep, lived in Cardiff before I moved to London."

Tosh chimed in again. "Great, then you'll be fantastic at running the tourist office."

Ianto's eyebrows raised. "Running the tourist office?"

"It's not just there for decoration, you know," Owen said sarcastically.

"When we can spare someone, which normally falls on Owen, honestly," Suzie said, "We have someone up in the tourist office. It is a little bit out of the way, so we don't get many visitors, but we do get some. It's not a hard job, but it is helpful so that we don't blow our cover."

"By the way, you could've come right in. We were all arguing about whether or not you were going to come in or turn tail and never come back," Tosh said, smiling.

"I- what?"

"When you stopped at the door. Owen was sure you weren't going to actually come it," Suzie said.

"But… you could see me?" Why was he surprised? He shouldn't be surprised. This was Torchwood, after all.

"Yep." Tosh motioned him over to her screen. "We have several CCTV cameras that are shown on default, and we can get most other cameras with a little bit of hacking. My expertise," she said, tucking her hair back behind her ear. "See, the park, across from city hall, and here's some stuff in London. That one was trickier to get."

"We've got software for the cameras on all the computers, so any of us can look at the CCTV footage at any time. There's a computer up at the tourist office, which most likely will become your office, but you'll be down in the Hub sometimes too." Suzie spread out her arms. "Any questions?"

"Are we starting now?" At everyone's surprised glances, he shrugged. "Best way to learn is by doing it, so I'd better start now so I can find my way around the place."

"Great." Suzie smiled and extended her hand. "Welcome to the team."

* * *

**A/N: WOOT! XD yay! Ianto's a part of Torchwood! There'll be a little more development, and what he feels as he's trying to infiltrate himself into the team, but for now, this is it XD I was hoping to do a little bit more with this, but if I start nitpicking i'll be here forever. So, to wrap this Author's Note up, I want to say 2 things: 1. if you ever see any typos, let me know, I just found some typos reading over one of my stories. 2. if you ever have any idea for a story but don't feel like you could write it, and you think I could, let me know and i'll try to write it for you if I can. That's all for now. I'll love you forever if you review!**


	9. Why did you hire him?

Jack looked up as he heard a knock on his door. He saw Tosh through the glass and motioned for her to come in. As she did, he asked, "So, how's the new recruit?"

"Hard to tell. He's kind of an unreadable book."

"I know what you mean. How do you think he's going to fit in?" Jack pushed away his paperwork, only too happy to have a reason not to do it.

Tosh shrugged. "Only time will tell. I thought that being in a Torchwood facility again would be too much for him, but if it is, he's very good at hiding it."

"Well, this is very different than Torchwood London was," Jack pointed out. Tosh made a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat. "What about the rest of the team?"

"I really think that Owen could care less so long as some of the jobs he doesn't like are taken, and Suzie seems to be at least receptive." Tosh bit her lip, seeming to be debating whether she should say something. "Jack?"

"Hmm?" Jack had picked up a paper again and was scanning it disdainfully.

"When Ianto first wanted a job here, there was no force on earth that could have made you hire him." Jack opened his mouth. "Don't interrupt, you know it's true. What made you change your mind?"

Jack picked up a pen and examined it carefully, buying himself time. He put the pen down on the table and folded his hands. "I'm not really sure. There was something in his eyes; it convinced me to let him in, I don't know why. Maybe a part of me had been subconsciously irrational, and it just sunk in that he could be useful."

"Irrational?"

"I think maybe a part of me might have been thinking that just because he worked for Torchwood London, he was automatically disqualified." He smiled ruefully. "I tried so hard to separate from Torchwood London, to prove – mostly to myself – that we were different. But how different are we, Tosh? I think we're more similar than I'd like to believe."

Tosh smiled gently, with just a hint of sadness. "We're different enough, Jack. Don't live in the past. All we can do is our best."

Jack smiled. "Our best." His eyes roamed the room and his smile slipped. "But what happens when our best isn't good enough?"

"Don't think like that, Jack. It's been good enough so far, and the only thing we can do is try. And if the world ends because we couldn't save it, at least we'll all be gone too!" she laughed.

"Maybe," Jack muttered under his breath uncomfortably. He took a deep breath and looked straight at Tosh. "Why don't you go back to the team? They could probably use your help integrating Ianto."

"Aren't you going to help?"

He half smiled. "Maybe later." He held up a thick folder. "Work to do."

"Alright, don't strain yourself." Tosh laughed as Jack gave her a half hearted glare and then left the room.

Jack stared at the folder without really seeing it for a few moments, and then got up and walked to the windows of his office. So far as he could see, Tosh was teaching Ianto how to use the software, Suzie was looking on and giving her opinions when she deemed necessary, and Owen was playing a game on his computer. He watched his team fondly as they went about their business. Sometimes he couldn't help feeling like a proud father. But something felt odd about it today. He stepped back from the glass as he realized.

Ianto hadn't been there long enough to instill the proud feelings, but Jack still felt as fond of him as any of the others.

Jack began to pace his office as he thought. What was so special about Ianto? He didn't really know. Maybe he connected with Ianto so much because they'd both lost so much. Maybe he looked at Ianto as proof that Torchwood London wasn't entirely twisted and off course. He smirked as he realized what possible reason Tosh would add if he talked about this with her.

"Or maybe you just thought he was attractive?"

He chuckled as he thought about it. She used to constantly chide him about his flirtatious behavior before she realized it was a lost cause. But she still brought it up on occasion, but now she did it mostly to tease him rather than to try to make him tone it down. He furrowed his brow as another thought came into his head: if she had said that, maybe she'd be right.

Because Ianto was attractive. It had been one of the first things that Jack had noticed about him. But he wouldn't ever hire someone just because he thought they were attractive. But was it simply a combination of that and the fact that he knew about aliens so he convinced himself it would be a "logical choice"? That, he just didn't have the answer to.

He wandered over to the window again. Tosh and Suzie were – unsuccessfully – trying to get Owen to help out, while Ianto looked on, looking slightly awkward. Ianto's eyes started roaming around the Hub. And then he saw Jack.

His eyes got wide when he saw Jack watching him and then his eyes flicked down to his shoes. Jack wondered why he was acting like this, why he seemed… embarrassed. He shook his head slightly and went back to his paperwork, pondering the mystery that was Ianto Jones.

* * *

**A/N: this chapter came together better than I thought it was going to, which is fine by me! Right around this part is going to be the hardest for me to write, I think, just because not a ton is happening and I don't have the guidelines of what's happening in the show since none of this was in any episodes. But I think it'll work out. Still figuring plenty of things out, no idea when I'll update. I love you for reading this ^.^**


	10. You won't die

**Apologies for the late chapter. Explanations after you read.**

Suzie gestured around. "So, here you have it. This will be your office, if you want it. This and the room back there." She nodded at the open doorway. Ianto walked forward and stood, looking over the room.

A wood desk was against the wall, with a small desk-top lamp lighting it up. A computer sat in the middle of the desk, the yellow light indicating sleep mode. A coffee pot sat on a table in the corner. "Whose is that?"

Suzie shrugged. "Technically, it's probably a 'company' possession," she said, making quotation marks with her fingers. "But the main reason it's up here is because Owen was too lazy to go down in the Hub if he wanted a cuppa. I think that's fresh, if you want some."

Ianto took a mug and poured some coffee into it. Steam rising from the cup supported Suzie's hypothesis that it was fresh. He took a sip and grimaced before taking the pot and pouring it down the sink of a little washroom off to the side that he'd noticed earlier.

"God, that's awful. Who made that stuff?"

"Given the coffee-making skill of the people around here, I couldn't guess." Suzie chuckled. "Jack prefers more industrial strength, so most of the time we get coffee to go."

"Well, I think making coffee might be something I can add to my agenda," Ianto commented. "Especially if it's always as awful as that."

"Oh, it is," Suzie assured him.

"Then why do you keep making it?"

"You get used to it, and besides, sometimes you just need caffeine, especially in this job."

"Hmm." Ianto realized that to get Lisa inside, he was going to need a good idea of time frames and schedules. "Late hours?"

Suzie thought a moment before replying. "Sometimes."

"Well, what's a typical schedule?"

"It really depends on the rift. If we don't have much activity, we're out of here maybe around 8, probably 9 or 10 at the latest, not considering personal research and projects. But there certainly are times when we've pulled all nighters, and once I didn't set foot inside my house for a week." She wrinkled her nose.

"But everyone pretty much leaves for the night?"

"Well, except for Jack."

"What?"

She smiled. "Jack's a mystery to all of us, no one really knows what he does most of the time. But I'm pretty sure he basically lives here. I'm pretty sure he goes out most nights, though. Doing what?" She smirked. "Well that's anyone's guess. Maybe picking up guys like you." She grinned at him.

Ianto flushed. "Is that really what he does?"

"Oh, sure. Girls too. The only thing is, I can't imagine where he finds them, because I don't think he's going clubbing in that outfit." She laughed. "Imagine him walking into a club dressed like that!"

Ianto found that it was surprisingly easy to picture. "I think he would, and I think he'd still manage to pick up a few people."

Suzie giggled. "You're probably right. He has that sort of a personality. He's got looks, too." She glanced at him, leaning against the doorframe. "What about you? Do you have anyone?"

"I… In a way… Um…" He didn't know what to say.

"Complicated?" She looked at him sympathetically.

"Sort of. Well, no. I mean…" He breathed out. "She died." It felt wrong saying it, but he'd told Captain Harkness the same thing. It was better to stick with the story.

Suzie's face blanched. "Oh, god, I'm sorry."

He knew what most people would say here. It's okay. But he couldn't bring himself to say it.

"How?" Suzie's voice was curious, but wary.

He half-smiled with no humor. That, at least, he could tell the truth about. "Canary wharf."

"Oh, my god. That's horrible." Suzie's face clearly spoke her wish that she'd never spoken.

"What about you?" He was desperate to get the conversation off of Lisa.

She snorted. "I haven't had anything that someone would consider an actual 'relationship' in a long time." She grinned. "Maybe I'm more of a casual person."

"Maybe," Ianto acknowledged. He didn't really know what to say, he barely knew her. "What about the rest of the team?"

"Tosh is most definitely a no. I'm pretty sure Owen is in the same position as me." Suzie smiled as if enjoying a joke that Ianto didn't understand. "As for Jack, well, you know about his escapades."

"No one has anything stable?" It seemed so lonely.

"I guess this job makes it hard for anything stable. And I think everyone here has issues that they'd have a hard time working through a relationship with." She reflected a moment. "And that includes Jack, no matter how much he pretends there's nothing wrong and all he is is the fearless leader. I've got a feeling he's got more shit to go through than any of us." She smiled at him. "Just like I'm sure you've got issues, but I won't push it. We're all here for a reason, because we're different in some way. I know some bad stuff's happened in my past, and I suspect the same for Tosh and Owen. But we don't push it, here. We all let everyone enjoy the choice to tell or to keep to themselves. Jack will always know the most, but that's the way it's supposed to be."

Ianto was stunned by her profound understanding. He let a silence fall. Finally, he spoke. "Is that computer hooked up to all of the rest?"

"Yeah, here, I forgot to give you the password earlier." Suzie reached forward and moved the mouse, explaining to Ianto as she went along.

Ianto brought cups of coffee into the conference room, bracing himself as he heard shouting.

"I'm telling you, Jack, we need to do something about the archives!" Owen yelled. "How am I supposed to analyze an alien species if I can't find any information on it?"

"Then organize it yourself if you're so keen on organization," the Captain bellowed back. "I have enough stuff to sort through without being a maid!"

Tosh was slouched down with her hands over her ears, pinkies massaging her temples. Ianto observed Suzie's intimidating death glare, which was alternating between Owen and Jack.

"You would be a maid if you were sweeping up the Hub," Owen snarled. "This is something that is necessary to keep organized so that all of us can get what we need when we need it!"

Captain Harkness slammed his fist down on the table, standing up. "And all I'm saying is I don't see why I have to do it! I've got plenty to do!"

"Excuse me," Ianto said.

"And I don't? I'm a bloody doctor! What, you're saying you're more important than me?" Owen shouted.

"Excuse me!" Ianto raised his voice.

"You're both acting like children!" Suzie shrieked. "Just shut up already."

Owen whirled towards her. "Stay out of it!" He snapped.

"Show some respect, Owen!" the Captain yelled. They started shouting over each other.

"EXCUSE ME!" Ianto shouted. They all turned to him in surprise. Ianto flushed slightly, embarrassed, and gestured to the tray. "I brought coffee."

"Oh, thank god," Tosh said, relieved. "They were giving me a headache."

Captain Harkness, still slightly red in the face, nodded curtly toward Ianto. "Thank you," he said sharply. He sighed. "Sorry. Thank you, Ianto," he said more sincerely.

"It's my job, sir." He began handing out mugs as they sat at their places again. "And speaking of jobs, if you need someone to organize the archives, I could try. I'm fairly organized." He glanced around the table at the team's faces. Owen sat, glowering and still looking as though he wanted to punch Jack. Jack's face was completely impassive now, although Ianto guessed that was because he was still getting his emotions under control. Tosh still looked slightly afraid that shouting was going to burst again, and her fingers tapped lightly on her leg. Suzie looked slightly surprised and pleased by this suggestion.

"You might want to take a look at them before you volunteer yourself for that," the Captain warned.

"Well, sir, I think it would still be easier for me to do it than any of you. After all, that's what I'm here for, isn't it? Legwork?" He saw an expression flash across Jack's face, but it was gone before he could decipher it.

"Let him do it, Jack, someone needs to," Owen spat. Ianto observed that he hadn't really calmed down much at all. Suzie shot him a dirty look.

"If you're sure." The Captain shrugged. "Suzie, show him down to the archives. The rest of you," he stared pointedly at Owen. "Try to do something productive." He stood and turned on his heel, walking out of the room.

Hours later saw Ianto sorting through papers down in the archives. He heard footsteps behind him, but didn't look up from what he was doing.

"You're still here?" Captain Harkness's voice rang unusually loud in Ianto's ears, making him realize exactly how quiet it was in the archives.

"No sense in stopping yet, hardly anything's done." Ianto still hadn't looked up from what he was doing.

He stopped a few feet away from Ianto. "You need sleep, Ianto. It's late."

"Don't you, sir?"

Jack chuckled. "It's my job to worry about you, not the other way around."

Ianto kept working. "If I can just get through this stack—"

The Captain reached over and took the papers from Ianto's hands. He took in the resigned look on the young man's face. "Why don't you want to go home, Ianto?"

"I don't know what makes you think that."

"Then go home. Get some sleep, come back and work tomorrow morning. The work isn't going anywhere." He smiled. "Tomorrow I'll give you codes for some of the alien archives, so once you get to them you can make sure everything's in order."

Ianto nodded silently. He moved towards the door.

"Good night, Ianto," Jack called.

He paused for a moment. "Good night, sir," he said quietly.

Ianto didn't look back. If he had, he would have seen Jack Harkness standing in the doorway, a small smile on his face as he watched his newest employee walk away.

Ianto crept into the quiet room. "Lisa? Are you awake?"

"Ianto?"

"Lisa." He walked forward and sat down, taking her hand in his. "How are you feeling?"

"It hurts," she whimpered.

He checked her medication. "I'll give you a little more, alright?"

"Ianto?"

"Hmm?"

"It was your first day today, wasn't it?"

"Yes." He made sure the IV was carefully secured before sitting back down.

"How was it?"

"It was fine, you shouldn't worry, you should rest."

"Will you keep the job if I'm gone?"

Ianto felt tears well in his eyes. "Don't say that, Lisa, don't even think about that."

"But will you?"

He hesitated. "I don't know." He gripped her hand tighter. "But we don't have to worry about it, because you're going to be fine. You hear me? You're going to be fine, Lisa." Tears spilled over and ran down his cheeks.

"Oh, Ianto."

"You won't die, Lisa. You can't die. I love you. You won't die. You won't die." Sobbing, he lay his head down in her lap. She lifted a hand and gently stroked his hair until, finally, they both fell asleep, two young lovers fighting desperately to cling onto the only hope they had.

* * *

**A/N: Man, that felt good :) I finished my last tests of the school year, and then went to computers and wrote this. I've missed just writing, it's been way too long. So, why have I been away? I didn't let myself write any fanfiction until I was done with school as an attempt to concentrate on my schoolwork. But as soon as I was done, I couldn't help myself. So I apologize and I hope it was worth the wait.**

**Personally, I really like this chapter. I'll wait and reserve judgment on whether it was good until I get feedback, though. I'm sorry that not much is happening, but there's so much background I need to get through before I get to the romantic stuff. The whole Ianto referring to Jack in his thoughts as "The Captain" is really annoying me, I have to change that soon. I forget and then I have to go back and change everything :P but Ianto will stop calling him "The Captain" in his thoughts before he starts calling him Jack to his face, that's one thing I know for sure.**

**The last part of this chapter was really personal for me, because my dad just had back surgery and even though that's not normally something you die from or anything, I've been really worried about him and so I was channeling all that when I wrote that part.**

**Sorry for the long wait and the long Author's Note!**

**p.s. what do you think of long chapters? Good or bad?**


	11. Tragedies always follow you

Jack looked up as the alarms of the cog doors went off, seeing a harried-looking Ianto burst through them, running his hands through his hair. He saw Jack and hurried over immediately.

"Sorry, sir, I overslept," he panted, straightening his tie.

"Don't worry about it Ianto, barely anything's happened," Jack chuckled. "Besides, you made it in before Owen. I have a sneaking suspicion that he's hung-over somewhere."

"I'm still sorry that I'm late."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Seriously, Ianto, it's no problem. I would have called you if I thought you were too late."

Ianto nodded quickly before heading off. "I'm going to make some coffee, sir, care for some?"

"I'd love some, thanks, Ianto!" Jack called after him. He shook his head, thinking how easily Ianto had fit in to the team.

A few minutes later, Ianto showed up with a mug of coffee. "Here you are, sir."

He accepted it gratefully. "Thanks. Did you check if Tosh and Suzie wanted any?"

"Already taken care of. Now, you said you had some codes for me, sir?"

"Oh, that's right!" Jack picked up some papers and rifled through them. "Here you go." He handed a slip of paper to Ianto. He turned away. "Oh, wait!" Ianto spun around again. "Forgot to give you this yesterday. Comm unit. We all wear them at all times during working hours, it's essential for keeping in touch."

"Thank you." He walked away.

"Ianto, what about Owen's coffee?" Jack asked.

"If he wants coffee, he can get it himself," Ianto replied over his shoulder.

Jack smirked. "Oh, he's gonna love that," he murmured. He walked over to Tosh and Suzie. "How are my favorite girls today?"

"Doing just fine, thanks," Tosh replied, smiling. She turned back to her monitor and began typing with super human speed.

"Seriously, Tosh, how do you type that fast?" Jack asked.

"It's all in practice, Jack. You'd be faster if you ever did anything," she joked.

"Oh, ha ha, very funny," he grinned back. He turned to Suzie. "And how are you?"

"Just fine," she said, smiling. "I want you to take a look at something that I picked up, remember the rift alert earlier?"

"Yeah, sure, what is it?"

"Well, I'm trying to figure out what it is, any ideas?" she asked as she walked around her desk and picked up a metal glove.

"Hmm… ideas? Plenty. Anything definite? No." He examined it. "Looks interesting, though."

"Permission to experiment?" she asked excitedly.

He chuckled. "Permission granted."

Just then, the cog doors blared the alarms again, and a bedraggled Owen came in. Tosh looked up, raising her eyebrows. "Well, look at what the cat dragged in."

"Piss off," he muttered.

"Well, someone's in a lovely mood today," Suzie commented. Owen glared.

"You can piss off too, wise mouth."

"Oh, such wit," Suzie said sarcastically before sauntering off to her working corner.

Jack leaned in and surreptitiously sniffed, before leaning back in faint disgust. "Thought so. You reek of alcohol. Why do you decide to get pissed so often?" he asked exasperatedly.

Owen glared at him. "Is it any of your business?"

"Well, frankly, seeing as I'm your employer, yes." He looked at him again and sighed. "Well, I guess we'll just have to hope we don't require much of you today, go take a nap on the couch and try to sober up."

Owen crossed his arms defiantly. "I can work, Jack."

"No. You're in no fit state to work. Go and try to sleep it off, if you wake up and feel better, come talk to me and then we can decide if you can work." Owen slunk of sulkily.

"Jesus, what are we going to do with him," Jack muttered, running his hands through his hair.

"He seems worse than usual lately," Tosh commented.

"Hmm." Jack paused. "Wait… What's the date?"

"The 21st," Tosh said, surprised. "Why?"

"Well, that explains a lot. Nearly the anniversary of when he joined Torchwood."

"What, he's rethinking his job?"

Jack shook his head. "No, I don't think so. It's more what happened for him to get the job." He looked at Tosh. "You know how you joined Torchwood. Let's just say his situation wasn't much better."

Tosh stared at Jack, her mouth open. "Jesus..."

Jack shook his head. "He lost a lot."

"What happened?"

Jack smiled sadly. "That's not my story to tell. It's his decision, and I don't blame him for deciding to keep it to himself." He glanced over at the man on the couch. "I know only too well what it's like to not want to relive bad memories." He looked at Owen for a moment longer before letting out a breath and rubbing his hands together, trying to keep his voice cheerful to brighten the mood. "Now, we'd better get to work, Ianto's putting us all to shame!"

Jack pushed his comms. "Ianto!" There was no reply. "Ianto? Ianto, are you there?" He paused, waiting, and, frowning, deactivated his comms when there was no reply. He walked over to Tosh's desk. "Hey, Tosh?"

She glanced up, her glasses perched on the end of her nose. "Hmm?"

"Did Ianto ever come up from the archives?"

Tosh's brow furrowed as she thought. "No, I don't think so. Why?"

Jack frowned again. "I was thinking maybe he could get us lunch, but he's not responding on the comms." He leaned over her shoulder.

"Well, I could pull up some CCTV footage, see if he somehow sneaked out. Maybe he just forgot to put on the comms?"

"Hmm. Maybe. Could you do that, please?"

Tosh smiled. "Of course." She turned back to her computer and began tapping at some keys. Jack turned away and rifled through some papers, looking for a lost folder of paperwork. "Aw," Tosh sighed. Jack turned around.

"What?"

"Found him," Tosh said, a slight smile on her face as she pointed to the screen. He moved over to the computer to look at the footage.

Ianto was slumped down against a cabinet in the archives, fast asleep. Jack felt a pang of – something in his chest as he looked at the young man. All things considered, he did look pretty adorable.

Jack backed away. "I'll go wake him up." He turned and began walking toward the stairs.

"Are you sure you should?" Tosh called after him.

He hesitated, turned, and shrugged. "No." Then he turned again and made his way to the archives.

He made his way over to where Ianto was sleeping. He noticed that the young man's eyes were shut tight, and he was fidgeting slightly. He reached out and shook his shoulder gently. "Ianto," he said quietly.

Ianto jerked and woke up with a start, his eyes flying open. His breathing was a little shorter than normal, Jack noticed. He helped him to his feet. "Are you alright?"

Ianto took a deep breath, seeming to compose himself. "I'm fine, sir. Just tired. I'm sorry for falling asleep."

"Don't worry about it," Jack said, studying Ianto's face. He noticed for the first time that there were shadows under his eyes. "But I thought you were late because you overslept."

"I did," he said, "But I didn't sleep well last night. When I finally could sleep, I slept too long. That's all there was to it." He wouldn't look Jack in the eyes.

"Do you want Owen to prescribe you something?" Jack thought he saw a fleeting look of panic on Ianto's face.

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? What kept you up?" Jack pressed.

Ianto hesitated. "Bad dreams," he muttered quietly. He shook his head. "Really, sir, it's no trouble. I'll see Owen if I need to." He smoothed his suit. "Was there something you wanted, sir?"

"Oh, right. I was wondering if you could order us lunch."

"Of course, sir."

"There should be menus in the tourist office. Most of them have team favorites circled, I think." He smiled. "Thank you."

"It's my job, sir," he said, smiling slightly. But Jack noticed that it didn't quite meet his eyes. He still looked shaken. He quickly strode away, avoiding looking at Jack. Jack stared after him.

"Tragedies always follow you," he murmured quietly before walking out of the archives himself.

About an hour later, they all congregated in the boardroom, with Chinese takeout that Ianto had ordered. They all chattered as they pulled out their respective orders. Jack swiftly ran his eyes over the boxes, doing a quick count, and then turned to Ianto in confusion.

"There are only four boxes, Ianto."

"I'm aware of how many boxes are there, sir."

"Aren't you eating?"

Ianto stared at the boxes for a moment before slightly shaking his head. "I'm not very hungry, sir." Jack realized for the first time how thin Ianto looked. He couldn't be sure, but he seemed underweight. Jack went to sit down at the table, and when he noticed that Ianto stayed put by the door, he motioned for him to come with. Ianto shook his head and shifted his hand slightly on his mug of coffee. Jack hesitated a moment before sitting down with the rest of the team, who were already involved in conversation.

"So, what's the glove for, Suzie?" Owen asked, an egg roll dangling from his fingers.

"I'm not sure yet. It's probably going to take months to work everything out," she groaned, pushing around some rice on her plate.

"Why's that?" Tosh asked.

"Well, we've never encountered anything like this, so I couldn't find anything exceptionally helpful in the records, and there are so many possibilities of what it could do that it could take a while to work out. Besides, I know Jack won't let me work on it all the time and neglect all of the other stuff like field work," she said, smiling in his direction.

Jack chuckled. "Yeah, you're probably right." He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and glanced over to see Ianto quietly leaving the room.

"Well, I"m sure you'll figure it out anyway," Tosh said encouragingly.

Jack abruptly changed the subject. "Hey Owen?"

Owen looked up, his mouth full of rice. "Mmph?"

Suzie rolled her eyes. "Swallow first, please."

Owen glared at her before chewing his food and swallowing. "Yeah, Jack?"

"Have you given Ianto a physical yet?" His eyes were intensely fixed on Owen, and he couldn't quite place why he felt so strongly about it.

"No, haven't had the time." He looked puzzled. "Why?"

"He didn't get any food for himself, and he looks thin." The rest of the team stared at him. He shrugged slightly self-consciously. "What? I'm just looking out for the well-being of my team." He turned back to Owen. "Just make sure to get one for him, soon. It's protocol anyway."

"Sure, Jack." The team went back to their food, Jack somewhat more distracted than the rest as he worried over the health of Ianto Jones – a man he barely knew.

* * *

**A/N: NOTHING. IS. HAPPENING! It's driving me insane, honestly it is! I had to force myself to finish this chapter, but I loved the part with Ianto falling asleep in the archives. When I picture that in my mind, it's so adorable ^.^ it's really infuriating that this is taking so long. I think i'm changing my original plan and having their first kiss before Lisa... thoughts?**

**oh, by the way, the part about the date? That date is completely irrelevant, I was just like, "Hmm... I need a date for that" and the 21st was the first thing that popped into my head. *shrug* I'm weird like that. Anyway, I feel like i'm going through everything way too fast. I realized that when I had already put the glove in, but I didn't feel like going back and changing it and trying to find something to fill that space, so instead i'm just going to pretend that working out everything that the glove did took a long time, which, all things considered, isn't so unrealistic.**

**Ianto next time...**

**if you follow my other stories, I'M TRYING! I think I actually have slight writer's block, so it's a struggle, but i'm trying whenever I get the chance. THANK YOU FOR READING :D**


	12. Physicals

Ianto walked away from the board room, quickly but silently, in the way he'd mastered long ago when he decided he didn't really feel like being noticed. He hurried down to the archives, and while thoughts whirled in his head, he wished that he had something to keep his mind as busy as his hands.

He was touched that the Captain had seemed so willing to let him into the team already, but he still felt like an outsider – everyone else was there for honorable purposes, and he was using them. He was using them to try to help Lisa.

He didn't know why they seemed to trust him so quickly. It wasn't that he didn't trust them – more that he hadn't been given any exclusive reason to trust them, and they'd gotten no more from him.

But even if he hadn't felt guilty for using them, he still would have felt awkward sitting down with them at lunchtime with nothing but a coffee mug in his hand. He just didn't feel hungry lately... why should he enjoy all of the creature comforts of life when Lisa was suffering so much?

Ianto tried to blink back the fatigue that was threatening to overwhelm him. Once he'd fallen asleep on watch over Lisa, it hadn't been long before the nightmares started and he awoke on the floor, having spasmed violently in response to his dreams and he had fallen onto the floor. He'd tried to sleep again, but every time that he closed his eyes, it brought the images closer to the front of his brain. He could hear the screams of fear and pain, the shouts of people trying to find order in chaos. He could feel the blood on his hands and he shifted through bodies, trying to find Lisa, praying that she was still alive. He could smell the singed scent that sparks and fires from the machinery were perfuming the air with.

Needless to say, he hadn't gotten much sleep.

But to have Jack find him asleep, slumped against a cabinet, that had been embarrassing. He couldn't believe he'd done that, and so early in the process too, before he'd even proved himself! But on the upside, he had plenty of time to redeem himself.

Ianto sighed when he thought of Lisa all alone in the run-down house. He knew that she got lonely there, but he also knew that he needed to be away so that they could make her better. So that they could save her.

Ianto jumped as a voice crackled in over his comm unit. "Oi, Teaboy, you there?"

Ianto rolled his eyes and picked up, knowing exactly who it was even after only a day of work. "What is it, Owen?"

"Jack wants you to have a physical, ASAP. So get up here. Autopsy room."

"On my way."

* * *

Ianto sat on the cold autopsy table, watching Owen as he collected all of the necessary materials. He rolled the cart over to the table and sifted through some more objects. Without lifting his eyes, he said, "Take your shirt off." Ianto began unbuttoning his shirt, and he froze self-consciously when Owen looked over. Owen rolled his eyes.

"Relax, I'm not like Jack." He ran his fingers professionally over Ianto, and then grabbed his stethoscope and breathed on it quickly to try to warm it up. He put it over Ianto's heart and listened before putting it on his chest and saying, "Breathe deeply."

The examination continued with all the usual procedures and some that were necessary simply because of what they were working with. Ianto answered all questions mechanically, and did everything that was asked of him without really thinking about it. Owen kept the quick-fire question and answer session going as he switched tools and proceeded with the physical.

"Hold out your arm," he said, wiping it with a disinfectant wipe when it was offered. He grabbed one needle, inserted it, and pulled up the syringe, drawing out his blood. He set the needle aside and repeated the process.

"Two?" Ianto asked curiously.

"One to keep for the blood samples, one to run tests on," Owen answered. Owen was much more professional when he was working with a patient. All of the snide remarks were there, but toned down. Owen frowned, staring at Ianto's chest again, running his hands over it once more, feeling the contours, especially by his ribs. "You look a little skinny, mate. What're your dietary habits like?" he asked as he picked up a flashlight. "Follow this with your eyes."

"I don't know, I eat when I'm hungry. I don't keep a log."

"Smartass," Owen muttered. "Keep your eyes on my nose." He swept the light past his eyes a few times again. "What about your sleep habits?"

"I get to bed every night, and I wake up in the morning."

"No trouble sleeping?"

"Sometimes, but doesn't everyone?"

"Hmm. Go stand on the scale." Owen followed him over and marked his weight down. "Now stand over here, going to measure your height." He made another note on the clipboard and frowned at the results. "Maybe you'd better make sure you eat hearty meals."

"That it?"

"A couple injections, and then you're good to go."

After the injections, Owen allowed him to redress. "We have checkups about every two months most of the time, unless Jack says otherwise. It's good to keep up to date in this job, never know what you could pick up from an alien."

"Although some of them probably have better hygiene than Owen." The Captain's voice came from behind Ianto.

"Oi, watch it," he said, scowling at Jack.

Ianto stood awkwardly for a moment before saying, "Right, then, I'd better get back to work."

As he was leaving, he heard Captain Harkness's voice from behind him again. "So what's the verdict, doc?"

"Well, you were right, he's underweight, and he looks a little fatigued too, but beyond that he seems healthy. Nice job for picking that up, though, nice to know you can be observant."

"I try." Ianto could hear the laugh in his voice.

Ianto was surprised that the Captain had taken concern for him. After all, who was he? Only the Teaboy. Ianto walked back to the archives wondering how he could live with the guilt of betrayal around people so trusting.

* * *

**A/N: I think I already know what the biggest challenge of at least the pre-Lisa part of this story is going to be: the whole taking Ianto for granted thing. At the moment, he's on Jack's mind far too long for him to take Ianto for granted. How do you write that? it's confusing. *sigh* I suppose i'll get it eventually.**

**Anyway. This chapter turned out... weird. Nothing happens, really. But Owen isn't being as much of an ass :P but we like him that way, so it's all good. Probably my favorite part of this chapter is when Owen says he isn't like Jack. Which basically makes this chapter lame, because that's not that great.**

**I apologize for taking so long, i've been laking in inspiration and drive lately.**

**Please feel free to share all ideas with me, I welcome them! Anything you want to happen at any point in the story you can say. But I will say: this is going to be a strictly canon fic. Anything that seems out of character to me for either of them will not be added in. anything non-canon may show up in an AU story, though!**


	13. Myfanwy

Jack was still worried about Ianto. He seemed a little more comfortable around the team, but he still didn't spend much time around any of them, and he still didn't seem like he was eating or sleeping enough. Jack was watching him from his office when he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in," he called, not bothering to turn and see who it was.

"It's no wonder he doesn't feel comfortable around anyone, he thinks we're all watching him." Jack turned to see Tosh smiling at him.

"I'm worried about him." He shrugged.

"Why are you so worried, Jack?"

"I... I don't know. I worry about all of you. You're like my family." It was all he could do not to choke on the word thinking about his real family. His father, killed; his brother, missing; his mother, grieving. He wondered how much more of a happy picture he got from his Torchwood family sometimes. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "He just doesn't seem like he's settling."

"Jack, everyone's different. Give him space, he'll settle on his own time."

"Of course I'm right," she said jokingly. "And I hope you're not watching all of us from your office like this. It's a little creepy, to be honest."

He grinned at her. "And if I was?"

She rolled her eyes as she walked out of his office. "You're impossible."

He chuckled quietly. "Been called worse."

Despite Tosh's advice, he still could help himself from following the young man up to the pterodactyl's roost during feeding time. Ianto acknowledged him with a slight nod of his head before turning back to what he was doing.

"You know, we haven't given her a name yet." Ianto's voice broke the silence with an agreeable tone.

Jack stared. "You want to name it?"

"Her. And yes. She's a pet, isn't she? Why shouldn't we treat her like any other pet?"

"You mean besides the fact that she's a dinosaur who fell through a rift in time and space?"

"Yes."

Caught off guard, Jack stared at Ianto for a moment, before smiling and saying, "Alright, you win. Got a name in mind?"

"I like Myfanwy."

"Welsh?"

Ianto rolled his eyes. "No, sir, it's Australian," he said sarcastically.

Jack laughed. "Alright, fine, so what does it mean?"

"My little lovely one."

Jack snorted. "A great name for a slightly vicious dinosaur."

"Oh, give her a chance. She might surprise you."

"She just likes you best," Jack teased.

"Tends to happen if you feed them."

"Maybe if you feed them chocolate," he chuckled.

"She likes it. Besides, everyone deserves a treat now and again."

Jack nudged Ianto. "Everyone?" he asked suggestively.

Jack saw Ianto flinch the tiniest bit before regaining his composure. "That's what I said, isn't it?"

Jack chuckled. "Ianto Jones, you naughty boy," he breathed down his neck. "We'll have to raise that statement to a promise." Jack turned his back and walked away, unaware of how uncomfortable the man he left behind felt.

* * *

**A/N: considering this is late, it doesn't make up for anything. Gah. It's short, and I'm not sure this is the point I want them to be at in the story. But I've had severe writers block and lack of time and inspiration for a while, so it's a miracle I even managed to get this out. I hope that this is okay, though. I wanted to have the Myfanwy naming in this chapter (I looked up the meaning online, by the way), but the way I wrapped it up, just... ugh. I hope you guys like it more than I do. We're in the middle of a heat wave here, so it's sticky and hot, and I just drank tea because I need to sing tomorrow and it's good for your voice. HOT tea. Gah.**

**I'll try not to make such a long wait for the next chapter, and make it less disappointing when I do post, but who knows what'll happen, it's not long before I start school either...**

**Reviews/comments are love. It really does help me to get working on writing. When I don't get any, I just feel so discouraged...**


	14. Blueprints

Ianto Jones was stressed.

In between Torchwood and Lisa, he hadn't had any time to relax, and even though he identified himself as a bit of a work-a-holic, it was beginning to get to him.

Largely because although he was inside Torchwood, he still wasn't any closer to helping Lisa.

He needed to make progress, as quickly as possible. His little home-kit wouldn't help her for much longer.

He was mulling over this problem when he realized, with a start, that his voice was coming over the comms. He quickly answered. "Yes?"

A disgruntled Jack responded. "Took you long enough. I was beginning to think that one of the weevils escaped and mauled you."

Ianto winced at the graphic image. "Nope, sorry, just thinking hard is all."

"I thought you were doing filing, how much thought does that need?"

"How much filing experience do you have, sir?"

"Fair point." Jack laughed. "Anyways, I was wondering if you could brew up some coffee. I wouldn't bother you, but everyone else's is shit, including mine. Think you could make some up?"

"Give me five minutes."

"Thanks, Ianto."

True to his word, five minutes later Ianto walked into Jack's office with a steaming mug of coffee in hand. Jack smiled.

"Very punctual, Mr. Jones."

"Internal stopwatch. Can't be late."

"Habit?"

"More responsibility."

Jack glanced down at the stacks of paper on his desk. "Think you could do my paperwork, too?"

Ianto shook his head, smiling. "No, sir, you're on your own for that. But you know, if you did it when you were supposed to, you wouldn't have so much to work through at one time."

"Thanks, mum." Jack's mocking tone mimicked that of a whiny child. Ianto merely smirked and made his way back to the archives.

He pulled up a chair to the computer and began perusing the electronic archives. He scrolled through the files, just to get a general idea of what was in them. He was positive that they would be in as much of a mess as the paper archives, and he didn't feel like trying to sort them out just then.

His eyes fell on a folder entitled "Blueprints". He clicked on it and opened it, glancing through the files. In it were general blueprints for every level and part of the Hub. He grinned as he saw tunnels below the Hub.

He knew how to get Lisa inside.

* * *

**A/N: Um, yeah. I haven't updated for a long time. Oops. I hope I still have some people that haven't given up on me!**

**I don't even know what happened, it really wasn't supposed to take that long. But it did, and I heartily apologize. And yep, I know this is short, but I wanted to get something up.**

**If you ever want to check on the status of a story, message me, comment, review, whatever, and I will tell you what's happening. All you have to do is ask!**

**Until next time, which hopefully will not have such a long gap.**


	15. Drunken Christmas

Jack shifted through his papers as he tried to make himself do something. His eyes kept wandering over the words and he couldn't concentrate on anything for long enough to read it. He groaned and tossed the papers aside onto a pile, and laid his head down on his arms.

Work in the Hub had been slow lately. With Christmas fast approaching, and temperatures at a record low, no one had any motivation to do anything except think about festivities and stay warm. The only one who seemed to be getting anything done was Ianto, who, when he could be seen at all, constantly had his nose buried in a folder of papers, often scribbling something down or just pouring over the words on the paper. Tosh occasionally made an adjustment with the computer systems, Suzie was mostly seen just staring at the glove they'd found with bewilderment, and Owen wasn't doing anything – mostly just playing games or sleeping. Jack hadn't really told any of them off, because he wasn't exactly being a model of productivity himself.

There hadn't been much Rift activity – seemed like the aliens were as adverse to the cold as the humans. The last time there had been a weevil hunt, Jack had gone out alone and lost it when he followed it down an icy alley and ending up slipping and falling on his butt. He'd made a point not to tell the team exactly how he'd lost the weevil, only that the ice made chases more than a little treacherous.

Nearly every time that there had been an official break declared and the team had assembled – although, more often than not, Ianto declared that he was too busy and didn't attend – all that they could talk about was Christmas. On this particular day, with Ianto actually present for once, Suzie and Tosh had decorations on the mind.

"Jack, Christmas only comes once a year, and this place always looks so gloomy," Tosh said.

"It would be nice for it to look a little more festive!" Suzie added.

Jack shrugged. "It's fine with me if you put up decorations. But only get a live tree if you two are willing to haul it down here and take care of it, because I'm not going to help."

"Well, Owen could help us!"

"Um, no," Owen said flatly.

"At least you'd be semi-productive! You're helping us with decorations, whether you like it or not," Suzie said.

"I'll lend a hand if you need me. When I'm not too busy, that is," Ianto offered.

"How can you even be that busy, mate?" Owen asked. "There's nothing to do."

"Obviously you haven't been down in the archives for a while. They're an absolute disaster zone." Ianto wrinkled his nose. "You've also forced the misfortune of the weevil feedings on me. Myfanwy's a right devil if she doesn't get her feedings on time, too."

"Okay, now you're definitely not getting away with avoiding helping with decorations," Tosh pulled Owen by the arm. "Come on, you can help me get some decorations from my house. I have more than I need there anyway."

"Keep your phones open, just in case!" Jack called after them.

"That would be Torchwood style, no signs of any Rift activity for weeks, and then a huge disaster just when everyone's gone out." Suzie smirked.

"Well, I'll go back down to the archives until someone needs me." Ianto hurried off, looking like he couldn't get away fast enough.

Suzie stared after him. "Wow, I never thought that archiving could be so interesting." She looked at Jack. "You don't think he's overworking himself, do you?"

"Well, compared to us, he is, but that's not really saying much." He grinned. "Speaking of which, I'd probably better at least attempt to get some paperwork done before this place turns into a Christmas madhouse."

A few hours later, with, luckily, no complications for the rift, the Hub was decorated with lights and ornaments, two artificial Christmas trees, snowmen, and every other type of decoration that the team had to offer. There had been a few incidents that happened during decorating – one ending with Owen tied to a chair with tinsel, and gagged with a stocking, another with Jack buried in an avalanche of lights, yet another with Ianto attempting to coax Myfanwy down after she stole the star from the top of the tree – but after all had settled down, and they'd untied Owen, all was relatively fine again. Tosh had brought in the most extensive collection of Christmas CDs that any of them had ever seen, which they were now playing over the Hub's sound system.

Jack looked around. He snapped his fingers and smiled mischievously. "I know just what this is missing." He grabbed his coat and started out.

"Oi, where are you going?" Owen called after him.

"You'll see," he called back.

They all stood for a moment, and then Tosh walked over to a cabinet and opened it. She rummaged around for a moment, and then pulled out a box and said, "Candyland, anyone?"

The rest of the team gave out a laughing cheer and sat down on the floor to play.

Jack returned to see Tosh and Ianto sitting on the floor, watching Suzie and Owen yelling at each other.

"You did NOT pull that card! You're cheating!"

"I did too!"

"Then show it to me!"

"No!"

"SHOW ME THE DAMN CARD, OWEN!"

"What, you don't trust me?"

"NO!"

Tosh leaned over to Ianto and whispered, "They used to be sleeping together, but it sort of fell apart. Suzie sort of enjoys snarking at Owen ever since."

Jack walked over, biting his lip to suppress his laughter. "Um, what's going on here?"

"I think Suzie is just a little too into Candyland," Tosh said. Ianto just continued to stare at Suzie in complete bewilderment.

"Owen's CHEATING! The bastard has to cheat at every single game we play!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Well, why don't you put Candyland away, I've got something better," he said, holding up the bags he'd walked in with.

"What's in the bags, Jack?" Tosh asked curiously.

Jack grinned and set them down. "Just what we need." He rummaged inside and proceeded to pull out several bottles of wine and champagne, some cartons of eggnog, a couple six packs of beer, several bags of potato chips, a couple boxes of chocolates, and a few bags of assorted candy. "I thought it was about time we had a party, I think we've all earned it." Looking at Ianto's skeptical expression, he added, "With our past work, not necessarily these past few weeks. Besides, we'll have leftovers in the fridge for ages, because I think we'd all get alcohol poisoning if we drank all of these tonight."

"Brilliant," Owen said as he grabbed a beer. "Thanks for this, Jack."

"As if you needed a reason to take more time off, sir," Ianto said, raising his eyebrows at Jack.

"Oh, Ianto, come on. You don't need a reason for a party, let's enjoy it!" Tosh ran over to a cupboard and started pulling out wine glasses. Ianto went over to help her and carried one over to Suzie as she brought one to Jack.

"Now let's get this party started!" Jack exclaimed. He pushed a few buttons on his vortex manipulator and the music changed to something with more of a dancing swing. He grabbed Tosh, who giggled crazily as they began dancing around the Hub.

Jack managed to dance with everyone except for Ianto – he even got a few seconds of dancing with Owen, which was generally entertaining because Owen was struggling and yelling, trying to get away as Jack "tried" to calm him down by jokingly saying seductive things while Tosh, Suzie, and Ianto looked on, Tosh and Suzie laughing so hard that they were holding their stomachs and Ianto watching with more quiet amusement.

When Jack went up to Ianto, he grinned, held out his hand, and said, "Your turn."

Ianto took another sip of wine and shook his head. "No."

"Oh, come on, Tea Boy, if I had to, you have to!" Owen complained.

"No," Ianto repeated, looking uncomfortably at Jack's hand. Jack took a step closer, and Ianto backed away, shaking his head.

"Oh, Jack, let him be, he's not as comfortable with you and your antics as we are," Tosh called over.

"Fine!" he called back. He looked at Ianto, still grinning. "But I'll get you to dance with me yet, Ianto Jones."

Ianto just stood there, looking a little more concerned than Jack really thought he should be. He turned back to the rest of his team.

"Come on, we're wasting precious party time!"

With the combination of music, alcohol, and general merriment, it didn't take long before they were all a little bit tipsy. They played endless games, trying to stay away from as many board games as possible because of Suzie's constant conviction that Owen was cheating at them. They played quite a few games of Twister, which Jack was accused of sabotaging because of his habit of whispering certain things into the other competitor's ears to make them loose their concentration. Finally, they all gathered around a table, too tired – and drunk – to stand much longer. Tosh was holding a glass of wine loosely in one hand, holding it at a precarious angle as the team was gathered around Jack, laughing at his ridiculous stories.

"And then," Jack said, holding back laughter, "the fool ran out of the barracks, completely naked, and everyone saw him, and they were all taking pictures!"

Suzie laughed so hard she fell of her chair, Ianto was red in the face, Tosh was holding her stomach and gasping for breath, and Owen was pounding the table with his fists.

"You did this to your General?" Suzie gasped, tears in her eyes.

"The complete MORON!" Jack laughed.

It took a few minutes to calm down, and then Owen checked his watch.

"Christ, it's nearly 3 in the morning! I'd better get home."

"Me too," Tosh said, getting up.

"And me," Suzie said. "Try not to penalize us too bad if we're a little late tomorrow, okay, Jack?"

"You've got it."

Jack watched his team walk away. Every one of them grabbed their coats and walked out the door – except for Ianto. He was gathering up the dirty dishes and trash and cleaning up.

"Ianto, leave it. You can do that later."

"I'd rather get it done now," Ianto replied. He straightened up. Jack took in the sight.

He'd taken off his tie and the first few buttons were undone. His hair and suit were disheveled from the earlier games of Twister, and he looked… delectable.

"You really don't need to do that now," Jack said, walking closer. A part of his brain was telling him that he really shouldn't do this, it was the alcohol, this was inappropriate. But the part of his brain that was only thinking about how gorgeous Ianto looked was easily overpowering it. "You're tired, maybe you should go home. _Yes, _the practical part of his brain said, _go home so I can sleep off this alcohol and think clearly. Go home so that I can think about how beautiful you look in peace. Go home so I won't jump you. _He shook his head slightly, trying to clear his thoughts. This was absolutely ridiculous. He'd almost forgotten why he strictly limited how much he drank.

"I'm not that tired," Ianto protested.

"You should go home," Jack insisted, still walking towards him. _Stop, _his practical brain told him, _stop before it's too late to change what you've done!_

_Go get him, _the other part purred. _Look at him. He's practically begging you to kiss him._

Jack was now right in front of Ianto. They were staring at each other, breathing a little harder than normal. He was close enough to smell his breath. It smelled strongly of alcohol, which only reminded him why this was a really bad idea.

"Ianto…" Jack said. He brought a hand up to Ianto's cheek. He stared into his eyes a moment longer, and then grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him.

To Jack's utter amazement, Ianto kissed him back. Jack slid his hands under the bottom of his shirt and up over his stomach and chest, before wrapping around his waist. Ianto's hands went up to his hair and he entwined them in it. Jack had no idea how long they'd been kissing when Ianto suddenly and roughly broke away, looking panicked.

"I have to go," he said, and ran towards the door, picking up his coat on the way. Jack stared after him, wondering what he'd just done.

* * *

**A/N: Um…. Well… I'm sorry.**

**For two things, really. 1. I'm sorry I haven't uploaded for so long. Life's stupid. 2. I'm sorry for this chapter. I don't even know how this happened.**

**I had this idea of them having a Christmas party, and Jack and Ianto getting drunk and kissing. I needed a new chapter, so ended up doing that.**

**I'm really not very happy with how I wrote the scene, but I don't know how to fix it. But on the plus side, THEY FINALLY KISSED! I'll have the scene I originally wanted for their first kiss later. I thought about having that here, but when I re-read what I'd wrote, I really thought that Jack and Ianto needed to get to know each other a lot better than they do at this point before that happens.**

**I hope that you can picture the party in your minds, though, because the image I have is really amusing.**

**Anyways. I hope you enjoyed this extremely bizarre chapter, Happy Holidays, and I hope to see you all again very soon.**

Please, please, PLEASE comment/review! You have absolutely no idea how much more I want to write when I get comments and reviews!


	16. Avoiding the Problem

Ianto gathered all of his things from his desk as quickly as possible and ran out of the tourist office. He kept running until he reached where his car was parked. Breathing hard, he unlocked it and slid into the driver's seat, pulling the door shut hard behind him. He slumped down in the seat, completely overwhelmed by what had just happened.

He had just kissed Captain Jack Harkness.

He covered his face with his hands. "How did this happen?" he groaned. All he knew was that one minute he'd been cleaning up the Hub, the next arguing with the Captain, and the next… He moaned despairingly as he thought of it. He shook his head, attempting to clear his thoughts. He put the key into the ignition and turned it. The engine ground to life, whining in protest to the cold. He put his foot to the gas pedal and started to make his way home, trying to think of anyone – or anything – other than his boss, rather unsuccessfully.

The thing was, he would have loved to pass of the kiss as just one of those crazy things that you did when you were drunk. But he couldn't help but remember that this had almost happened once before, and they had both been perfectly sober at the time. And a part of him had really wanted that kiss. He didn't understand it.

He found himself driving through the streets of Cardiff almost blindly. It seemed like the amount of time that it took to get home couldn't possibly have passed when he arrived in front of his house. He was momentarily confused. He'd meant to go and visit Lisa for a little bit before getting some sleep. But he realized that it was probably better that he hadn't gone to her. He didn't' think he could face her. Not after…

He couldn't finish the sentence. He was still sort of in denial. He couldn't believe that he'd kissed his boss – a MAN, no less – while his girlfriend was hovering between life and death.

He got out of the car and walked up the steps to the front door. He went to his flat in a daze, not really paying attention to where he was going, and to his amazement he ended up in front of the right door. He fumbled with his keys and tried to unlock the door. He noticed that his hands were shaking. He took a deep breath and tried again, this time managing to get enough of a grip to turn the key and open the door.

He took off his coat and hung it up. He was tempted to go into the kitchen and get a stiff drink, but he knew he'd had enough alcohol tonight – MORE than enough. So instead, he simply walked to his bedroom and collapsed on the bed, face down. He turned his head so that he could actually breathe rather than attempting to breathe in the pillow. He closed his eyes and let the exhaustion wash over him.

* * *

Ianto woke up with a start. Instead of trying to remember his dreams, he was trying desperately to forget them.

Captain Jack Harkness had dominated his dreams that night.

His phone went off. Ianto pulled his pillow over his ears and let it ring. Once he took the pillow off his head again, he reached over to his phone and went to check his voicemail.

"_Ianto, I hope I didn't wake you," _the Captain's voice said over the phone. Ianto nearly stopped the message right there. But, rationally, since it might be about work, he kept listening. _"But, seeing as you didn't answer, maybe I shouldn't worry. I just wanted to say that given last night's festivities, I've decided to give the team a day off to recuperate. Barring any world-ending events, of course. But I do expect you all to be here the day after tomorrow. See you then."_

The line clicked off, and Ianto deleted the message without a thought, thanking his lucky stars that he had another day before he had to face his boss again.

* * *

**A/N: MEH. Short. But that's because a. I really wanted to post (I'm sorry, I'm being a horrible author, aren't I?) and b. I want to tell Ianto coming back from Jack's perspective. So, I want to keep this author's note short too. I hope you liked the chapter, I hope you're still sticking with the story (I hope that better stuff is coming – no, wait, BETTER STUFF WILL BE COMING), and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, I'm BEGGING you, COMMENT! I want your opinions.**

**Okay, bye! See you soon, I hope!**


	17. Comfortable

Jack was waiting in the Hub. He was watching the door, waiting for the alarms to go off signaling that someone had arrived.

Ianto was, typically, the first to arrive. Jack greeted him, saying, "Good morning, Ianto. Looking good," with a cheeky wink.

Ianto turned and walked away as he said, "Morning." He looked uncomfortable, and Jack knew perfectly well why.

It was about the kiss.

Jack sighed. He'd figured this would happen. He knew he had to get Ianto to be comfortable around him again, and he knew he could; he just needed time. He followed Ianto into the kitchen. "Look, Ianto, I just wanted to say something to you before the others get here."

"Oh?" Ianto didn't turn from where he was making the coffee.

"About the other night. What happened."

Silence.

"I know that it makes you feel uncomfortable around me…"

Still no response.

"But I just wanted to say that it was nothing. We'd both had a little too much to drink, and that's it. It's a drunken accident, and it won't happen again. Unless you want it to," he joked.

Ianto still didn't respond, but he seemed to tense up a little at the last sentence. Jack felt like an idiot.

"Ianto, listen. You don't have to feel uncomfortable. I'm flirtatious, it's just a part of who I am. I really don't mean anything by it."

"So what are you saying?" Ianto asked, still not looking at Jack.

"What am I saying? Well… I'm saying it was an accident, it didn't mean anything, and it's nothing to worry about. Okay?"

"Sure."

"So we're fine? No awkwardness? No tenseness?"

"I can't promise that right from the beginning," Ianto said slowly, "since it is a bit weird for me. Not nearly as much for you, I'm sure." He shot Jack a look and he grinned back cheekily. "But with a little time, I'll be fine. It's certainly nothing to quit over. Like you said, it was nothing."

"Right," Jack said firmly.

There was a silence which only proved to Jack how awkward the situation still was.

"Well," Ianto said, "I'd better finish this coffee. I wouldn't put it past Owen to show up with a hangover today even though you gave us the day off yesterday to prevent that."

"Right, I'll leave you to it." Jack walked away, feeling both apprehensive and reassured. He was confident that, one way or another, this was going to work itself out.

Jack watched as each of his team members came in, much happier to be here than they would have if he'd made them come in yesterday. Well, all except for Owen. As far as Jack could tell, Owen was never happy to be there.

Jack had subtly increased the amount that he flirted with members of the team, especially with Ianto. He was determined to make Ianto see that this was normal for him, and that he wasn't trying to target him at all. At first, the young man looked uncomfortable whenever made a comment directed toward him, but gradually he got used to it, and even seemed to enjoy the flirtatious bantering. He hardly seemed to notice when Jack backed off with flirting with the others. It became their game. Jack would say something about how Ianto looked, and Ianto would quickly shoot back one of his sarcastic quips.

Jack found himself really enjoying it, even though he knew it would probably be a better idea not to do it. He had, after all, promised that what had happened between them would never happen again, and their flirting, while it was harmless, as he kept telling himself, somehow seemed to be forcing Ianto back towards that again. He was afraid that if there was another mishap like that, Ianto would leave. And Jack didn't want that. He was just starting to become one of the team, starting to integrate himself. But there was something about the casual banter that he got a lot of enjoyment out of, and it became his guilty pleasure. He found himself initiating it more and more frequently, until it was considered strange if Jack and Ianto were in the same room and didn't make some flirtatious quip.

But he knew that it was an issue. He shouldn't be pushing this, especially when he wasn't entirely sure of all of the reasons he'd kissed Ianto that night...

He knew that he wasn't the only one who noticed the issues when Tosh brought up the problems one day while they were working on a case together. "You know, Jack," she said as she typed a keyword into the search box, trying to pull up more information on an alien species, "I'm all for making employees feel welcome, but maybe flirting with them isn't exactly the best way to go about that."

"Oh, come on, Tosh. I flirt with everyone. It's not a big deal."

"You know that. I know that. But does he know that?"

"Of course he does!"

"But is he comfortable with it?" Tosh gave him a meaningful look. "Look, Jack. I know that it's just you. I know that it's just a part of who you are. But some people aren't that comfortable getting that sort of attention. Especially from someone of the same gender."

"Tosh, he'd let me know if he was uncomfortable. Everything's under control."

She eyed him skeptically. "If you say so."

"Tosh, I can handle it."

She raised her eyebrows. "I just worry. You aren't always very good at 'handling' these things."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." She shrugged and turned back to the computer. "Prove me wrong. I hope I'm wrong, just…" She hesitated. "Never mind. Just be the responsible one for once, Jack. The way you talk about things like this sometimes makes it seem like it's all a game to you. Or a joke."

"Tosh, look." Tosh peered at him over her glasses. "However it may seem, I don't think Ianto's shy. He'd definitely let me know if it was bothering him. It's harmless; we're just goofing around, having fun."

Tosh sighed and turned to her screen once more. "You're the boss." She obviously didn't want to press the issue.

But she'd gotten Jack thinking. For the rest of the day, he was turning the matter over in his mind. As he'd told Tosh, flirting was just a part of who he was. But why was it that he spent so much time flirting with Ianto? Maybe in the beginning it had just been to make him more comfortable, but did he still have the same reasoning?

He had to admit, he enjoyed flirting with the young Welshman a lot. And it wasn't exactly a secret that he was attractive. But Jack knew that he wouldn't push the boundaries that Ianto set too much. He did know where to draw the line, whatever Tosh thought.

"It's under control," he said, out loud, as he stood in his office, looking at Tosh consulting with Owen on some topic or other. Ianto was nowhere to be seen. He had no doubt that he was in the archives, still making his valiant efforts to get some sort of order in the place.

"It's under control," he repeated. Was it the others who needed convincing, or himself?

It had been a long time since Jack Harkness didn't have something under control, and the thought that he might not have this under control frightened him.

* * *

**A/N: Oops. Abrupt ending. Erm... yeah.**

**Anyway.**

**I like the first part, and then in the middle, I'm all "Ehhhhhh..." and then at the last part it's kind of good again. Goodish?**

**Whatever. I'll let you decide.**

**I'll keep this A/N short and just say I'm SO sorry for the huge hiatuses in my writing.**

**That's all. Review, comment, whatever. Love you guys 3**


	18. All Work and No Play

Ianto sat at his desk, with a blueprint spread out in front of him. He stared intently, tracing a pathway with his finger. He was fairly sure he understood most of the workings of the tunnels, now if he could just finish tracing the routes, it would only take a little bit long-

"Ianto!"

The abrupt interruption in his ear piece made him jump. He tapped a button. "Yeah?"

"Would you mind calling in some lunch?" Ianto glanced at the clock and saw that Jack was pretty much exactly on time with his request. He'd noticed a pattern.

"Anything special today, sir?"

"Owen says he's in a pizza mood, and I don't think anyone else is too fussed. If you're too busy, I could make him call it in, though."

"No, it's fine, I'll take care of it," he replied, already reaching for the list of restaurants they ordered from. "The usual, I'm assuming? I think you all have had enough new experiences for the time being." It had been a full week, lots of runs around Cardiff, and often the Rift alerts had been for unidentified species.

"Sounds fantastic. Thanks." And with that, the call cut off.

Ianto sighed as he reached for the phone. Though weeks like this did make him a little glad that they hadn't gotten around to giving him field training, he sometimes wished that they would just train him in already. Sometimes the monotony of his job got to him. But, he reminded himself with a glance to the blueprint, there was a reason he was here.

It didn't take long to place the order, and Ianto moved himself, along with some paperwork that was a little more inconspicuous, to the main tourist office desk. He idly straightened a few of the brochures, and then turned his attention to the paperwork at hand, marking the ones that needed Jack's signature.

About halfway through the stack, the pizza delivery boy arrived, with the slamming of the door, clomping of feet, and the unavoidable aroma. Ianto paid him, thanked him, and waited until he was back out the door before opening the main entrance to the Hub and walking through.

When he entered the Hub heralded by alarms and lights, he saw Owen throw down his pen onto his desk.

"Thank god, I'm famished," he exclaimed. "Everyone, the pizza's here!" he shouted. Ianto passed off the pizzas to him.

"Up to the board room, then?" Suzie asked.

"Yeah, someone make sure Jack knows, though I'm sure he does already," Ianto called as he walked off to grab plates.

Sure enough, Jack was in the boardroom before the rest of the team, sitting down and looking up expectantly as they joined him.

"I swear, they get faster at delivering the pizzas every time. Sometime they'll bring it here without having been cooked, just to improve their speed." He grinned.

They all took their places at the board table, taking a plate as the stack was handed around. Owen had put the pizzas in the middle of the table, and for a few moments there was chaos as the hands of hungry Torchwood members all scrabbled to grab a piece or two. Ianto noticed Jack eying him suspiciously as he took only one piece and nibbled gently at it, and he quickly looked in the opposite direction.. Everything calmed again as plates and mouths were filled.

"So, Suzie," Jack asked, "have you worked any more on that glove?"

"Haven't had a chance with the Rift acting up," she replied. "I was just thinking that I should maybe give it another look today."

"And that knife that came through with it?"

"Seems to be just a knife, not much remarkable about it." She shrugged. "All I can tell is that they seem to come in a set. They're made of the same metal."

"Well, keep working on it, I guess."

Ianto had managed to eat the slice of pizza that he'd taken, so he rose from his seat and said, "Well, I guess I'd better get back to work."

Owen stared at him incredulously. "You're kidding, right? You just went on break!"

Ianto shrugged. "There's a lot to do."

"Are you sure?" Tosh asked, grinning. "I do have to say, Ianto, that the Hub has never looked so clean, nor have the archives been so organized in all the time I've been in Torchwood."

"Well, I thought it was obvious that the Captain hired me to do his dirty work. Right, sir?" Ianto intentionally put a slight emphasis on the word dirty, and Jack's smirk confirmed that he'd noticed.

"Now, now, careful, Jones. You don't want to get too flippant."

Ianto raised his eyebrows and smirked before he turned and walked out of the room. After leaving his colleagues behind, he hurried back to his desk, where the blueprint was still lying, wide open.

"Where was it, where was it..." he muttered as he scanned the paths. He found the path he'd been looking at before and let out a breath as he finished tracing it.

"That's it." He leaned in closer. "I know how to get her in."

* * *

**A/N: I really have no excuses, so all I have to say is, I'm so, so, SO terribly sorry and I'll do my best to write another update quickly. And I wish I could have made this one a little longer, but there really wasn't much to put into it.**

**I hope you enjoyed this, even for how late it was...**


	19. Training and Intensity

The Torchwood team was in the boardroom, eating lunch. Ianto was absent, having quickly and firmly informed them that he was in the middle of a project that he'd rather keep working on when he dropped off the food. This had been the trend for several days running. They had tried to get him to stay and eat, but merely he insisted that he was busy and rushed back down to the archives. The rest of the team was enjoying Jubilee pizzas while discussing the jobs they had been working on recently.

"Did you find anything when you dissected that alien, Owen?"

"Not a bloody thing. As far as I could tell, the thing's about as harmless as a caterpillar. I just got it in a body bag and stuck it in the morgue. Sent the chart down to the archives for Ianto to file. Waste of my time."

"Yes, I'm sure you lost valuable time that could have been spent simply sitting on your ass doing nothing. I really feel for you," Suzie smirked.

"Oh, sod off."

"What about you, Tosh?"

"Well, the Rift seems to be a little calmer now, finally. Haven't seen a major spike for a few days. I've mostly been working on new security technology, more ways to track and locate extraterrestrials, stuff like that."

"Suzie, any luck with the glove?"

"No, not yet. Just… it feels like there's a bit of a… spark, or energy, or something when I put it on. And that knife we found with it seems to be of the same metal, though I haven't found anything else."

"Well, maybe you could try it on some people and species in the morgue, and then, if we need to, we can move it to the vaults. I'd prefer not to, but we need to take action if we ever want to know what it does. Maybe leave the knife, unless you aren't getting anywhere with the glove alone."

"Just a routine day at Torchwood, where corpses are considered acceptable table talk." Suzie grimaced. "I'll get on that after lunch. Hopefully I'll get somewhere quickly."

"Well, since we've been here so much lately, as long as the Rift doesn't act up, we'll call it an early day. I think all of us deserve to get out of this building for once. I'll make sure to let Ianto know." Jack balled up the napkin that he had been wiping his hands on and threw it toward the garbage can. It missed by several feet. He sighed and got up. "It's a good thing that I didn't have my heart set on being a basketball player." He picked it up and tossed it into the garbage.

"Well, Owen, if you can drag yourself away from whatever you're oh so busy doing, I'd appreciate it if you would help me bring something up from the morgue so that we could just see what the glove does," Suzie said sarcastically, getting up.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"I guess I'll go talk to Ianto now, then," Jack said. "Maybe start on gun training… if everything stays calm, maybe we'll all call it an early day, so keep your fingers crossed!"

"Cheers, Jack!" Owen looked a little more cheerful at the prospect of leaving work early.

"See what you all can get done before you go. Owen, maybe finish up some of those charts that have been on your desk so long that I'm sure they're collecting dust. Tosh, if you could tweak enough on some of that new tech that it's usable, that'd be great. Suzie, I know you're not going to really be thrilled, but just keep slogging along with that glove. If we don't get some sort of breakthrough soon, I think we'll just have to table the whole thing."

Jack went directly down to the archives. When he stepped into the filing room where Ianto had been spending most of his time, he was nowhere to be seen. "Ianto?" Jack waited a moment. "Ianto!" He sighed and tapped his comm unit. "Harkness to Jones. Come in, Jones."

"Believe it or not, that sort of talk doesn't suit you, sir."

Jack chuckled. "Cheeky. Watch your step there."

"Did you want something, sir?"

"First things first. Where are you?"

"I- down in a storage room. There was some maintenance work that needed doing. Some of the pipes. Why?"

"Meet me in the archives. I'll bring you down to the gun training room, finish up your qualifications."

"I'll be there shortly."

About a minute later, the young man appeared. Jack greeted him with a smile. "Alright, now follow me."

Jack led him through the halls, stopping briefly at the door to the training facility to key in the code. After it granted him access, he entered, letting Ianto follow behind.

"Best shooting facility you'll find anywhere around. Lots of space, lots of targets, and if we want, we can program the targets to move for more advanced training. But let's see how you fare with some simpler techniques first."

Jack picked up a pair of earmuffs and safety glasses for himself and tossed another set to Ianto, who caught them deftly. "Safety first." Jack smirked. "I always use protection." Ianto raised his eyebrows.

"You really reached for that one, didn't you?"

Jack laughed and put on the muffs and glasses. He ran his eyes over the guns as Ianto did the same. He reached out and picked up a small gun, tossing the weight of it a little in his hand. "Here, let's start with this one." He held it out and watched Ianto lift it from his hand, curling his fingers around it.

"How do I use it?"

"I'll show you." Jack stepped forward, turning the man around and putting his chest flush against his back. "Hold it in one hand, with your body parallel, like this." Jack showed him how to shift his weight, standing close and letting his fingers linger as his hand slid down his torso. He could feel Ianto tense. "Relax, you'll never shoot well like that. Deep breaths." He moved his hands to Ianto's waist. "Deep breaths," he repeated.

Jack leaned forward a little and looked at the young man's face. His eyes were closed, and his brows were furrowed. He took deep breaths, but he wasn't relaxing. Jack put his hands on his shoulders and rubbed them gently.

"Don't," Ianto said shortly. Jack lifted his hands off. "Please step back." Jack heard a tiny tremor in his voice. He slowly took a step back, and a moment later, some of the tension left Ianto's shoulders.

"Now," Jack said quietly, "why don't you try to take a shot?" Ianto shifted his grip on the gun. "Stand straight, plant your feet, turn your head, don't lock your arm. Be ready for the recoil. Grip the handle firmly, but not too tight."

A moment later, Ianto took the shot. It barely missed the center of the target. "Not bad. You certainly know how to follow instructions."

"So I've been told." It was just like any other comment Ianto usually made when they were bantering, except he wasn't smiling. There was none of the usual witty bite to it.

"Let's move on to another gun, shall we?" Jack asked quietly.

The rest of the training session dragged on in almost silence. Jack learned to be careful not to touch Ianto at all – even the few times their hands accidentally brushed when picking up a gun were tense and awkward. Jack would only physically correct something in Ianto's stance if he still didn't get it right with verbal instruction. Luckily, Ianto learned very quickly and understood Jack's directions with impressive accuracy, so those times were few. Jack tried to ignore the part of him that was hoping desperately that Ianto wouldn't understand each time he corrected him.

When Ianto had, at last, passed the basic gun skills training with flying colors, Jack checked his watch. "Yep, still early." He pushed a button on his comm. "Tosh! Send out the word, we're ending early today!"

"Owen should be pleased. Cheers, Jack!"

Jack smiled and disconnected the call. "Let's call it an early day for you too, Ianto. You certainly caught on very well. Bravo."

"Thank you, sir." Ianto seemed to be having a hard time meeting his eyes. Jack licked his lips as he looked at the younger man's face. Ianto turned to leave the room. Jack caught his wrist.

"Wait, Ianto-"

Jack wasn't sure what he'd meant to say. Maybe something about the fact that they worked together, so there shouldn't be this awkwardness or the intensity. Maybe to ask if Ianto had been unsure about any of the guns or wanted to try something again another time. Maybe to ask how his work in the archives was going.

Because the moment that Ianto turned around and his eyes met Jack's, there was only one thought left in his mind.

So he listened.

He leaned forward and kissed Ianto. His mind was so blank that he didn't even realize that Ianto responded without hesitation, that his hands were gripping Jack's shirt as tightly as Jack was gripping his waist.

A moment later and Jack was left holding air, watching Ianto disappear around the corner.

* * *

**A/N: I. AM. SO. SORRY.**

**I can only say that I've had this one bouncing around in my head - and on the page - for quite a while, but there were so many ideas that just WOULDN'T work themselves out, and I really wanted this one to be done well.**

**But I promised I would update chapters this weekend, so I got writing and - THANK GOD - it ended up all working out.**

**I PROMISE I WILL UPDATE MORE REGULARLY AT LEAST DURING THE SUMMER. Stick with me - it's going to get a lot more interesting VERY soon **

**I LOVE YOU ALL AND I'M SORRY AGAIN AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED I TRIED TO MAKE IT GOOD TO MAKE UP FOR ANYTHING**


	20. Into the Hub

Ianto tried to stay calm as he worked his way through the Hub. He had managed to fall into a controlled – if brisk – walk by the time he got upstairs. He took a moment to locate where the ever-migrating coat hanger had ended up and grabbed his things. He tried to catch his breath as he considered his decisions. He knew he had to get out of here, at least for a while, but to come back later tonight or simply return tomorrow? As he considered, Jack appeared at the top of the stairs.

Jack looked at Ianto for a moment before turning. He seemed exceedingly calm and composed, which for some reason infuriated Ianto.

Predictably, Owen was already halfway out the door with a rushed "See you tomorrow!" Jack followed quickly after, grabbing his coat and pulling it on as he went. Tosh was busy shutting everything unnecessary down for the night. Ianto rummaged through his pockets for his keys with the sole purpose of giving himself a reason to not communicate with Jack any more than he needed to. Suzie walked up as he was busying himself with the pointless task.

"So, Ianto Jones, what're you going to do tonight?"

"I don't know," Ianto said. His heart was still beating a little fast, and talking normally took more effort than usual. "I have some paperwork I could do, I suppose."

"Ianto!" Suzie laughed. "It's your night off. Even Jack is going out, and he lives here. Quite literally." Suzie started walking out, and Ianto kept step with her.

"What does he do? When he goes out, I mean?"

"Oh, it depends. Usually goes to bars or clubs. Finds another place to stay for the night, if you know what I mean." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "That's Jack. We all have our brand of fun, I suppose. Owen's a bit like that, sometimes, too." Ianto heard a slight note of bitterness in her voice.

"Yeah, well, that's certainly not my scene."

"C'mon, you've got to do something fun! Or relax, at least."

"Yeah. Yeah, I may do. We'll see." Ianto managed to smile, but he had a feeling it turned out a little forced.

"I hope so. I'll see you tomorrow, and I expect to hear all about it." Suzie smiled and walked away. Ianto juggled his keys in his hand for a moment, then decided to look at the blueprints one more time before he tried to put his plan into action.

Because if Jack was gone tonight, there was no time like the present. There was no telling when he'd get another clear chance like this.

There was a small network of underground tunnels with secret entrances that led into the Hub from a few parts of the city. Ianto couldn't figure out how to ask about them without raising suspicion, so he'd done some research on his own, digging through old files. The tunnels had been constructed mostly for use with bringing in hostile aliens for study or confinement, before Torchwood had really refined their methods for tranquilization and capture. The tunnels were almost completely unused now, but, as Ianto had observed when he had gone to explore after discovering their existence, still completely structurally sound.

In short, they were the perfect – and really the only way – to get Lisa inside undetected.

He knew he couldn't ask. He knew that anyone who knew what had happened at Canary Wharf would never agree to helping Lisa. But he knew her, and he loved her, and he had to believe that she could be saved if he had access to everything he needed.

Ianto twirled his keys idly as he walked to his car. When he reached it, he rummaged around quickly in his glove compartment, finding the information of a trailer rental facility he'd located some time earlier. He had used them before, since his car was hardly ideal for transporting Lisa as well as her support system. He'd found the owner easy-going and amicable, insisting that Ianto call him by his first name upon meeting him and saying he'd be happy to help him in the future, and Ianto knew that he would have no problem with his borrowing a vehicle at the last minute.

Ianto fished his phone out of his pocket and dialed the number. "Hello? Yes, this is Ianto Jones, I'm trying to reach Joe… yes, thank you. Hello, Ianto Jones here, you helped me out a while back? … yes, that's right. Well, I've ended up finding a new place and I know it's last minute, but do you think I could borrow a small moving vehicle? … Right, I just don't have enough room in my car … Should be there in 10 minutes, if that's alright? … Thank you so much, it's much appreciated."

Ianto hung up the phone and started his car. He tried to focus on the road and not be distracted by the nervous energy coursing through him. He had to focus on the task at hand, had to not overthink it and just do it, and he had to think about anything other than what had happened in the shooting range.

The traffic was favorable, and he pulled up in front of the moving rental in good time, greeted by the heavy-set, cheerful looking owner walking out of the store to meet him. "Ianto! Glad to hear from you, business has been slow. Come around back, I'll show you the car." Ianto put his car into park, locked it, and followed him.

"I trust this'll be alright? It's the same one that you used last time. Still has all the bungees and everything in it." The back of the vehicle was open, and Ianto could see the open space – which, as he'd discovered last time, was just about the perfect size. A pile of bungee cords were laying on the floor, and Ianto took a moment to remember how exactly he'd connected them to the bars on the sides to keep Lisa stable through the journey.

"Yes, it's perfect. Thanks again, I know this was short notice. I'll have it back safe and sound later tonight."

"Well, if I'm not here, just leave it here and slip the keys through the mail slot, along with your check. Your car will be waiting for you. You do know our payment rates?"

"Yeah, I remember. I'll be sure to do that. Thanks." Ianto took the keys from the owner and climbed into the vehicle. It started smoothly and Ianto was on his way.

The road that the house was on was, as usual, abandoned. Ianto had never much dwelled on why no one seemed to live here. It wasn't exactly inviting. He supposed that most people just didn't want to deal with fixing up the ramshackle houses for very minimal gain.

He backed the car up to the garage. He got out and slid the garage door up. There was a door into the house, and he walked in.

Some floating dust was illuminated when he turned on the light in the hallway. It felt cold in the house. He walked through to where Lisa was. She was awake.

"Ianto?"

"Hi, Lisa." He walked over to her and held her hand as he talked to her. "How are you?"

"It hurts a little, but I'm alright." She smiled. "Didn't know when you'd be back."

"Sorry. They've been keeping me busy at Torchwood."

"That brings back memories."

"Do you think if I gave you some of the sedative you'd be alright to move?" He squeezed her hand gently. "I think I can get you in tonight, and I know I can get you better care there. But I don't want to if you don't feel up to it."

Her eyes lit up just a little. "I think I could manage that."

Ianto smiled and moved away to get the sedative. They still had quite a bit left; they'd tried to use it sparingly, only when the pain was really terrible. He worked quickly, putting it into her IV.

"Ianto…" He looked up at the sound of Lisa's weak voice. "Thank you for everything you're doing."

Ianto felt his throat close, so he couldn't manage to do anything but smile slightly and nod. He turned away when he felt tears well up in his eyes. He began gathering the few supplies scattered around the room to pack into the truck. When he looked back at her, her eyes were closed and she was asleep.

Ianto tried to make quick work of it all. It didn't take long to gather everything from around the house; he hadn't spent a lot of time there, and he'd never expected to keep Lisa there permanently, so he hardly tried to make it homey. Transporting Lisa's support system was a little more complicated, but with quite a bit of time and care – and the blessed fact that there were ramps here rather than stairs – he managed to get her out of the house and up the ramp into the trailer.

He carefully made sure that both she and the support system were properly secured. He wasn't going to take any chances.

The drive to one of the remote secret passages was really rather short. It was disguised well, a door hidden under an overhang covered with trailing ivy vines. To Ianto's relief, when he opened the door, he saw that the entrance to the tunnel had no steps.

He opened the back of the car and carefully lowered the ramp. He looked toward the nearby road, but it was deserted and he was well shielded from view anyway. He went in, carefully unstrapped everything, and began to move her out.

The tunnel, while relatively flat, did have its share of bumps and holes, which made the going slow. The trip was long and arduous, but thankfully, Lisa seemed to remain undisturbed by the rough going. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Ianto found himself reaching where the tunnels merged into the actual halls of the Hub.

Ianto left Lisa momentarily out of sight in order to make sure he was still in the clear. He dashed into the Hub, running through the hallways of the lower levels he'd become so accustomed to, though he still felt a shiver as he ran past the holding cells full of Weevils. He ran up the stairs and was greeted by the eerie sight of the empty Hub, dark except for a few lights of machinery. Somewhere he heard Myfanwy cry out softly and flutter her wings, but she seemed to be the only form of life.

He darted back downstairs, back to where Lisa was. He felt a surge of relief as he continued moving her to the room he'd picked out. It was a room in which a lot of the fuse boxes and things like generators and heaters were located. Ianto knew no one came down here; no one had before unless absolutely necessary, and since Ianto had joined the team, most menial labor and maintenance work had fallen to him, since no one else was very willing. He'd already come down several times to take a look at the wiring, and so made short work of hooking up her support system and getting everything working normally.

Just a few minutes after he'd finished and was double checking to make sure he hadn't made any mistakes, he heard a soft sigh. He looked up and saw Lisa's eyes flutter and open. He saw in them confusion and some panic. "Lisa," he said. His voice carried a heavy tone of relief. They were here, she was in, she was awake, and now they could really work.

"Ianto," Lisa said groggily. She still seemed confused. Ianto walked over and held her hand.

"We're in, Lisa. We've done it. Now… I know you'll probably get bored down here, but I really think I can get you better help here than anywhere else. But you've got to promise me you'll be quiet, alright? You should be fine down here, but I wouldn't want anyone to just find out unexpectedly… just promise me, alright?"

"Of course." She smiled, and he saw tears in her eyes. She looked happy, excited. "Ianto, we've done it. We've really done it. We're going to fix this."

"Yes. Yes, we are." He smiled too.

She looked up at him. "Thank you, Ianto. You've gone through so much. You've done so much for me. Thank you."

"Of course." Ianto was choked up. He leaned forward and kissed her on the forhead. He leaned back, stroking her cheek. "I've got to go now. I set up everything in your support system so you should be fine until I come back. Just try to relax and rest."

"Goodbye, Ianto."

Ianto ignored the stinging in his eyes as he left the room and closed the door behind him. He ignored it all the way through the hallways and the long tunnel back to the car. He ignored it as he realized it was dark and drove back to the vehicle rental. He ignored it as he got out, wrote a check, and slipped it and the keys through the mail slot.

As he got back to his own car, Ianto still tried not to cry, but it was no use. She had thanked him. He had betrayed her, and she thanked him. Jack had kissed him. And he'd kissed him back. He felt guilt and confusion raging inside him. He loved her. He loved her so much. But when Jack was kissing him… all he'd wanted to do was hold him and never let go. How could he do that? Ianto slumped against the car and just sobbed. He stayed there for a few moments until he could get himself at least somewhat composed. He was just confused, that was all… he couldn't have actually felt anything for Jack, it had to be his imagination. It was just that he'd never met anyone like Jack, and still didn't know how to react to him… That had to be all. He loved Lisa, so that had to be all. He just wasn't used to Jack, the way he talked to people, or that dynamic between employers and employees.

Ianto got into his car and drove home, trying to think of anything other than the guilt and confusion gnawing at his soul, or more importantly, anything other than Captain Jack Harkness.

* * *

**A/N: Okay… I know I've been AWOL for a while. And I sincerely apologize for that. I had a wicked case of writer's block for quite a while – for reference, earlier this school year, I had a meltdown because I had to do a creative writing assignment and I couldn't get the words out. And this chapter was difficult because there was just so much TECHNICAL stuff that I hadn't quite worked out. I hope you don't mind that it's still kind of glossed over… And on top of that, I had some pretty substantial personal and family issues, on top of applying for college.**

**ANYWAY. I'm exceedingly sorry that I made you all wait so long, and you are all so patient and kind for still sticking with me. Even if it makes me feel guilty, I like getting messages asking me when I'm going to continue, because it lets me know you guys are still there. So never hesitate to ask me anything :)**

**The interesting stuff will be picking up soon, I guarantee it, so if you can forgive me and stick with it as I get my groove again, we'll be on our merry way!**


	21. the Resurrection Gauntlet

Jack woke up to the tinny buzzing of an alarm in an unfamiliar room. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, seeing the man whose bed he was in getting dressed.

"I have work," he said, glancing at Jack as he buttoned up his shirt, "and I'm guessing that you do too. If you're hungry, you can help yourself to whatever I may have." He tucked in his shirt. "Otherwise, just let yourself out. Thanks for the night." He grabbed a tie off of his dresser and hung it around his neck as he left the room.

Jack sat on the edge of the bed and located his clothes. Aside from his coat, which was draped neatly over a chair, everything was in a heap on the floor. He eyed the now-wrinkled shirt before glancing at the clock. It was early enough that he could still get to the Hub and change before the team showed up.

Jack got up and dressed quickly, shaking out his clothes before putting them back on, untangling his braces, slipping his coat on last. When he left the room, he saw no sign of the other man. He let himself out, and walked the – thankfully short – distance to where he'd parked the SUV.

When he got back to the Hub, he wasted no time in getting a new set of clothes, showering, and getting dressed for the day. It wasn't long after he climbed up from his room that he heard the door alarms, and looked up to see Suzie.

"Bright and early, just as always," he said, grinning at her.

"Well, when there's work to be done, I might as well be here to do it." Suzie started toward her workplace and then stopped. "Hey, Jack, didn't we… acquire a few bodies that died in suspicious circumstances recently? The ones that turned out to be connected suicides or whatever?"

"Well, that's an odd question, but yes," Jack said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you know, the glove… I've been looking into alien metals that seem to have similar structures, and with the… you know, the spark or whatever when you put it on…" Suzie didn't seem to know how to put her thoughts into words. "Well, it's just… this energy, this life sort of, so I was thinking that maybe it had something to do with that. I thought the morgue might be our best bet for… experiments."

"Are you saying that you think the glove might have the power to bring people back to life?"

Suzie shrugged. "It's worth exploring, isn't it? And our best bet would probably be the recently deceased…"

"A little gruesome, but I have heard of things like that before. It's not a bad thought at all. Definitely something we could look into. Just… wait until Owen's here, at least, we should probably have a doctor on hand for this."

"Will do."

Jack went over to his desk and pulled out some paperwork he'd been meaning to go through, figuring today was as good a day as any. Tosh arrived next, saying cheerful good mornings and then falling into a conversation with Suzie, presumably about the glove and the possibilities that the experiments could reveal. Soon after, Ianto arrived.

Jack tried to get a reading on the young man as he entered. He seemed to be composed. There was a certain amount of tenseness in his stature. Ianto made eye contact with Jack and seemed to falter for a short moment before nodding to him and saying, "Good morning, sir."

"Good morning, Ianto Jones," he replied with a wide smile. He watched the man turn and say good morning to the others before heading downstairs, presumably to the archives as usual.

Jack wasn't sure how to feel about the situation. He did regret losing himself to the impulse like he had, but Ianto seemed to be handling it fine. Jack decided that, even with a situation like this, the only thing for it was to just give him space and not dwell on why he may have acted the way he did – and certainly try to cut back on the innuendoes.

Owen arrived with a coffee in his hand, looking grumpy as usual. Suzie called him over as soon as he walked through the door, and they took off together towards the morgue, talking as they went.

"So, Jack, what's this?" Tosh called out to him from where she was typing away at one of the computers. Jack walked over to her. "Do you really think that this glove can raise people from the dead?"

"Well, I guess we're about to find out. And even if it can… I doubt that it's as cut and dry as that." Jack leaned over her shoulder. "What're you up to?"

"Setting up some files for recording this experiment – you know, usual paperwork, getting cameras ready, the usual, just so we have a clear record of what we're doing." Tosh didn't even look away from the screen as she explained. "And obviously I'll have to work through the paperwork of the bodies of who we're using, screen them for anything that could cause potential side effects…" She glanced over at him. "I'm a little out of my element here. I'm just trying to cover all of our bases."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

Jack returned to his desk and resumed working on the paperwork stacked up there. A few minutes later, Owen and Suzie reappeared, wheeling a gurney with one of the bodies from the morgue.

Jack moved over to the autopsy theater as they continued to work. It was easy to see why Owen was a part of the time when he did medical work. He was totally in his element, making sure he had any and all utensils he may need, making sure everything was sterilized properly. Here was the only time that Suzie would take orders from Owen, because even she knew better than to challenge his authority here.

Soon, they were ready. The body was lying on the table with various pieces of equipment attached. Owen was double checking his machinery, making sure that everything was ready to track any vital signs. "Well, I think it's working," he quipped, "because it's a flatline and he looks pretty dead to me."

Ianto walked into the room, looking confused as he saw them all standing there. Tosh finished the last of her work and called out, "We're recording, so we can go at any time." She stepped out from behind her desk and motioned to Ianto, smiling. "Come on, I'm sure you're as interested in seeing these results as we are."

"What's going on?" he asked.

"We're thinking that this glove may be able to bring someone back to life." Suzie said matter-of-factly as she pulled it on. Ianto's eyes widened, and he took a few unsure steps closer to the group.

Suzie was staring at the glove, concentrating. "It's almost like this thing has a life of its own sometimes, it won't work until… there," she said cheerfully as she moved her fingers. "It let me in. Let's try this."

"Everyone ready?" Jack asked. Suzie positioned herself behind the man's head. Owen was standing by his equipment. Ianto and Tosh looked on from the railing as Jack moved down next to the table. "Alright, go ahead."

Suzie closed her eyes and moved her gloved hand to the man's head. "I… I think I feel… wait." She closed her eyes more tightly. "It's… odd… but I feel like if I try to go through…"

Just then the man on the table opened his eyes and gasped loudly.

Tosh clapped a hand over her mouth. Owen stared at him, dumbfounded. Ianto had gone white. Jack took a deep breath and reminded himself he'd seen worse. He looked up at Suzie and saw that she was shaking, staring down at the man who'd been dead moments before.

"Where am I?" the man screamed. "Oh god, what happened, why am I here, what is this?" He screamed loudly and then suddenly was still. Jack looked back at Suzie again. She slowly slid her hand away.

"I'm sorry, I lost the connection… I just couldn't hold it, I…" She stared down at the man.

The entire team was silent for a moment. Then Owen broke the silence, saying, "Well… I think we can safely say that we know what it does."

* * *

**A/N: Now we're getting somewhere. Whew :) I know it's been a little longer than I promised, but I'm on my way to getting back on track (I hope). Hope you enjoyed the chapter, as always, and stay tuned for more!**


End file.
